Dawn made a gorgeous self care box

I’m not sure which is worse, a winter or summer flu. I do know that if you are feeling bad it is often a lot better to stay at home and keep your germs to yourself.  If you are not actually contagious but need a duvet day you might as well do it properly.

This is where a self care box comes into it’s own. Imagine waking up, feeling rough, needing to look after yourself but feeling too vile to do it. Then imagine having a box of things all ready for this very event. You are going to feel super organised and extra prepared and properly looking after yourself will make you feel better.

The quotes in this post are from people in the best group ever: The less-stuff Facebook group. The group is now archived to preserve my own self care. It was lovely but really time consuming and I just could not afford to keep it going.

What do you need to do to look after yourself?

We all like different things, personally I feel better with a long bubbly bath and a decent book. Your self care box should contain:

• Special things for days when you need to look after yourself
• Nice things to remind yourself you are worth looking after
• Things that won’t go off!

What size box do you need?

I suggest a shoebox to start off with, and you can keep it with a blanket and a hot water bottle in a drawer or cupboard. You could even wrap your box in a blanket if you have space to store it like that.

“I always think a cosy blanket or wrap is good for self care. Just not sure it would fit in a box that’s all.” Cathy

Reminders

A lot of the things I do to make myself feel better include technology so you could add a reminder for online links. This could include:

• Films
• Games
• Music
• Meditations
• Audio books
• Articles
• Feel good blogs

Try not to get sucked into a rabbit warren with the internet, it is easy to lose a whole day on Pinterest! You can often get free trials for movie streaming services.

Health

• Hankies
• Painkillers
• A water bottle to remind you to stay hydrated
• Coconut water is a great hydrator and comes in little cartons that last for ages.

Comfort

• Hot water bottle
• Blanket
• Super soft cushion
• Socks

Indulgence

• Lip balm
• Hand cream
• Moisturiser
• Bath bubbles
• Body lotion
• Nail varnish
• Brandy for hot toddies
• Incense or smelly candle – or a battery powered candle if you are worried about dropping off to sleep

Entertainment

• A book for reading, nothing too taxing

“A beautiful, keepy book that’s just for browsing through – art, poetry etc. Could be a book of tapestries or hymns or fabulous knitting designs – something you can lose yourself in and just fall asleep if you need to.” Dawn

• Photos to look through
• A colouring book and nice pens/pencils
• Yarn, needle and hook and a nice pattern to make something
• Manicure kit
• Nice music
• A DVD
• A puzzle

Sustenance

Remember you might not need this box for a few months, so keep those use by dates in the distance.

• Chocolate to eat or drink

“Hot chocolate, incense, notebook and pen.”  Anna

• Herbal tea – mint is good for queasy tummies and chamomile is soothing
• Instant soup
• Crackers
• Biscuits

Most importantly

Your self care box needs to be special. For days when you need to look after yourself. So make sure no one can dip into it and eat your yummy treats. Save any craft projects or reading material in it until you need it. Keep it safe and away from pets and people.

This post is inspired by Emily Aagard who wrote about more lovely ideas for a self care box.