How to make a self-soothe box

Self-soothe boxes have lots of different names – you might have heard them being called coping, safety, or hope boxes.

These boxes won’t fix everything, and they aren’t supposed to. They can, however, help when things feel especially overwhelming.

When you’re struggling or feeling distressed, it can be hard to think clearly about what you can do and remember what helps. A self-soothe box exists to help you get to a calmer place so you can think about your options and choose a healthier way of coping.

You’ll need a box, bag, or container to hold your helpful items. What you choose to fill your box with is up to you. People often find it helpful to have items that relate to different senses, as well as some things to help them distract themselves.

When things feel overwhelming, some people find it helpful to have visual reminders of people, places, pets, and memories that are important to them, or calming things to look at.

Make it easier to find sounds that soothe or calm you by putting things in your box in advance.

Some people find it helpful to have soothing smells that help them feel calm, or sour sweets that help ground them in the present moment by making them focus on the here and now!

We know that people sometimes get into a cycle where their breathing makes them feel anxious, and then that anxiety makes it tricky for them to breathe as calmly as they normally would. If this happens to you, you could include some things in your box to help.

Sometimes, when things feel overwhelming, people find it calming or relaxing to give their brain something else to do. This might be especially helpful if you find yourself worrying about things over and over again.

It isn’t always easy to reach out when you don’t feel great. Make it easier for yourself by creating a list of people and organisations you can contact to add to your box.