If you are currently having suicidal thoughts or are considering hurting yourself or others, please call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 for help.
The Mental Health First Aid Crisis Kit is an easy-to-carry, on-the-go mental health coping toolkit to help soothe anxiety, stress, and sensory overload.
Having one of these kits on hand may just change the outcome for someone suffering a panic or anxiety attack. They are small enough to carry anywhere, and they are filled with useful items to help soothe and calm the storm and get you through a sudden mental health crisis.
Once an anxiety attack begins, it can feel impossible to stop yourself from spiraling, but you are not powerless in moments of panic. A mental health crisis kit can help you calm down.
What Is a Mental Health Crisis Kit?
- A collection of physical items, written reminders, and easy activities that can keep you grounded, be your anchor, and enable you to refocus your energy to reach a state of calm.
Each of the useful items in our crisis kit fits nicely inside a small zippered pouch that will easily fit inside your backpack or purse and can be taken everywhere with you so you have it in a time of panic and/or crisis. All of the contents can enable you to slowly climb out of a bottomless pit of panic and toward a place of peace.
Our mental health crisis kit can be further customized once you have it, by thinking about ways that you currently cope with your anxiety and then adding your own helpful items to the pouch making it tailored to your specific needs.
Mental Health First Aid Kit - Crisis Relief for Anxiety and Panic Attacks
Our crisis kit includes:
- A mindful breathing necklace along with instructions. When your mind is wracked with anxiety, your body suffers, too. To slow hyperventilation, shaking, and nervous twitching, focus on inhaling and exhaling. Breathing is always something you can control in moments when you feel helpless. Refocusing your attention on your breath will help slow your racing mind and calm your body.
- Calorie-rich protein shake. For some people, anxiety can cause a loss of appetite and digestive issues like diarrhea. If you find yourself unable to eat during a mental health crisis, don’t forgo food altogether as your body needs nourishment. If you can’t bring yourself to eat, try drinking a calorie-rich protein shake or smoothie.
- Notebook and multi-colored ink pen. Bottling up your thoughts and feelings, regardless of their negative or positive nature, can be toxic. In a mental health crisis, try writing down all the thoughts that are swirling around in your head. This will give your brain and hands a purposeful activity to do, and help you process difficult feelings by expressing them on paper. You can also bring this notebook with you to individual counseling sessions with a therapist to discuss your anxiety in depth.
- Fidget Toy. Anxiety can often cause nervous or restless hand movements like nail-biting, so it’s important to have something for your hands to fiddle with when anxiety attacks. Having an object or two on hand is especially important for people who struggle with self-harming tendencies like cutting or burning their skin.
- Calming Essential Oil Roller. Sense of smell can be the fastest route to the brain. Apply this oil to your wrist, the back of your neck, your pillow, or your sleeve. Subtly take a whiff of the calming scent to soothe anxiety.
- Grounding Stone or Crystal. Hold these, feel them, and practice encouraging mantras such as “I am strong”, “I am enough”, and “I am doing my best”
- Calming Tea Bags.
- Stress Ball. To relieve stress or frustration, take on a deep breath, squeeze the ball and count up to 15 seconds. This may be used together with the mindful breathing straw.
- Scented Therapy Dough. Squeeze, smell, shape, and re-shape.
- Mindful Mints. Place a mint in your mouth and think through all of your senses. What does it taste like? What does it feel like on your tongue? What does it smell like? Focusing on these things, one thing at a time will help with feeling grounded.
- Calming Tealight Candle. When it comes to finding peace of mind, the atmosphere matters. This uplifting candle harmonizes the mind, improves mood & creates a safe meditation space.