The emotional first aid kit

I felt great on my run this morning, the one that completed 27 months of running a mile each day.

Two thoughts crossed my mind that sparked today's post: the first was the first aid introductory course I attended a couple of weeks ago: and the second was remembering that I hit a real low a few days ago, which had me struggling for a while.

Then I thought that when I help out with Sarah's Runners, I always run with a portable first aid kit strapped round my waist. Wouldn't it be useful to have a portable emotional first aid kit to carry around with me to deal with emergencies or mishaps of an emotional kind?

I spent the rest of my run compiling my own first aid kit. Here's what I plan to keep with me at all times in my emotional first aid kit:

• a run, walk, or anything that involves vigorous movement - getting the blood pumping and flowing round my body always helps generate more energy, which is what I need when I'm down;
• a laptop or small notebook and pen - just writing everything I'm feeling and thinking for at least 15 minutes without pausing often helps me create more clarity and come up with new ideas;
• an inspirational book or article that inspires me - it's not that important if I've read it before. It just needs to be something that allows me to see more possibilities;
• uplifting music on my laptop or smartphone - certain music creates a fast track to my emotions, but it needs to be energising rather than melancholic;
• access to environments that energise me - certain coffee shops or outside where I can see a big expanse of sky, trees, grass and, even better, water, whether it's a stream, river, lake or the sea;
• a reminder of my core values - to help me see which of my values are not being fulfilled right now so that I can think of something to do to increase that fulfillment;
• memories of high points of my life when I felt happy, in control and powerful - it's always worth spending time logging these memories, so that I can bring them back & remember them in detail and feel what I felt like then;
• reminding myself to "act as if" I feel happy, powerful and in control now - standing tall with a strong posture, smiling and moving purposefully helps. Changing my physiology positively affects my mood;
• the ability to reconnect - whether that's to someone I can talk to, someone who makes me feel positive talking to them, or even just to the bigger picture of my life & what's really important.

That's my first pass at my first aid kit.

What would you have in yours?

Comments

[Nick]

Great items to have in the kit; which is itself a brilliant idea. I also need a cause or an objective that I'm heading for, something which is worth dragging myself towards even when I m really down.