Anxiety can be triggered without warning, and if you are not at home with your support system, it can be hard to get through an anxiety attack. If you are worried about being unprepared for a panic attack when you are out and about, you can prepare an on-the-go anxiety kit to take with you, so if you have a panic attack, you are prepared no matter what. In this article, we will look at how to assemble an on-the-go anxiety coping kit.
What is an anxiety coping kit?
When you have anxiety, there are usually some things or activities that help calm you and get you through the anxiety attack. A coping kit takes some portable versions of these items and lets you take them with you so you can get through a panic attack no matter where you are.
If you have anxiety, being at work or shopping can be overwhelming, and it can be hard to get through an anxiety attack if there is too much going on around you. If you often experience anxiety attacks when out and about, it can be beneficial to assemble a coping kit so that you can manage your symptoms.
Before You Assemble an Anxiety Coping Kit
There are a few things to consider before you put together your anxiety coping kit. Ask yourself these questions before you start putting your coping kit together:
Where do you travel?
Make a list of the places you typically go, like work and the grocery store. This can help you be prepared for the stimuli that you will face in your kit.
What do you do when you go out?
Think about everything you do when you go out, like going to work, grocery shopping, and visiting friends and family. What coping tools do you typically need when you are doing these activities? This can help you decide which items to include in your kit.
Items to Put in Your Anxiety Coping Kit
The goal of an anxiety kit is to help you get through a panic attack, so think about what items may help you get through it when you are out.
Tastes
Is there a specific taste that helps you center yourself when you are having an anxiety attack? You can add some treats to your coping kit to help in that case. You can add things like hard candies, cookies, granola bars, chocolate, nuts, or gum to get you through the day. Make sure whatever snacks you include in the kit are not going to go bad quickly, and they will not melt. Going for your chocolate bar during a panic attack and finding a melted mess will not be helpful to calm you down.
Scents
Are there specific scents that help make you feel calm and centered? If there are specific scents that will help you calm down, you can incorporate these into your kit. For example, if lavender or pine calms you down, you can get some essential oils for your kit. If something like cookies or carrot cake is soothing to you, you can get a small candle or perfume to add to your kit. Smell is a great way to trigger happier memories, so this can be a good way to make you feel centered when having an anxiety attack.
Things to Touch
When you are stressed, having things you can fidget with or touch for the texture can help you feel calm. If you need a texture to calm you, add a square of fabric, a small stuffed animal, or even a scarf to your kit. If you need things to fidget with, there are many types of fidget items that you can add to your coping kits, like fidget spinners, puzzle games, and pens to click.
Visuals
Do you need certain images to help you center yourself? You can print out some pictures to look at or make a little slideshow on your phone; you can even use funny videos on your phone to help reduce anxiety and stress.
Sounds
Sounds can be soothing or overwhelming, depending on your anxiety. You can include things like earplugs, noise-canceling headphones, or just earbuds, depending on if you need to block out the noise or need a certain sound to soothe you.
Anxiety Relief Apps
There are a lot of anxiety relief apps out there that can help guide you through a panic attack. One of the best is Rootd, because it not only gets you through an attack but it also can help you better understand your anxiety and mental health. It can be a perfect addition to any anxiety coping kit.