Hello! Welcome to Day 1 of the 2022 First Responders Are Human event. The event hopes to encourage mental wellness in first responders through physical fitness. Participants are asked to engage in one deliberate physical activity each day of the event. We will be sharing a daily resiliency tool that can help first responders be resilient on and off the job. While many of the stressors first responders face are systemic, it is still important that we be able to maintain our own mental health.
Today’s Tool: Building a Toolbox
Toolbox as a tool?!
Isn’t that why toolboxes were created, to store the tools we use to fix things around the house?!
So why do I need to learn about a toolbox?
Mental health toolboxes have various sets of criteria that can help the mind, body, and soul. Like the tools that fix furniture pieces or construct something, there are also tools that can help us through the healing process.
Toolboxes for mental health can also be called a wellness box, coping box, crisis box, or calming box. They all do the same job even with a different name.
So what is a toolbox when it comes to mental health? It is an object, a place, and/or a space where we can go when we feel sad, upset, numb, anxious. It guides us back to grounding.
Building a toolbox can feel intimidating if we don’t know how to start building one for ourselves or for our loved ones. Not to worry, as that is what we are here for; to provide you the guidance to build one for yourself.
Toolboxes can be created with an actual box or by keeping a mental space for the insights you collected over the years to help you through any form of darkness.
What can be in the toolbox? The following list has examples of tools some people find beneficial. However, you are not limited to these tools and you are encouraged to find what works for you. The goal is to find things that help you stay well and guide you to relieve immediate symptoms.
Toolbox Suggestions:
Talk to a friend-many people find this to be really helpful
Talk to a healthcare professional
Peer groups
Physical activity
Relaxation and stress reduction exercises (yoga, mindfulness, meditation)
Journaling–writing in a notebook
Creative affirming activities like painting, singing, dancing,
Nutritional guidance
Light therapy
Extra rest
Take time off from home or work responsibilities, “Me time”
Hot packs or cold packs
Medications, vitamins, minerals, herbal supplements
Attend a support group
See therapy through a Mental Health Professional
Simple tasks that make us feel good (having a shower)
Crisis lines (a copy on our fridge door)
Surround yourself with people who are positive, affirming, and loving
Wear something that makes you feel good
Creating new memories through photography
Make a list of what you have overcome ( we tend to forget the strength we had )
Creating a vision board
Do something or watch something that makes you laugh
Do something special for someone else
Art Therapy (using our creative side of the brain to express what we feel through painting, drawing, sketching)
Ink Therapy (ink therapy tells your story without speaking of your story)
Breathing exercises (there are different kinds of way to ease the pain, just by the way we breathe).
Focus on and appreciate what is happening right now. Living in the moment can be difficult and challenging, but it is rewarding as well.
Listen to music, make music, or sing.
Sensory objects like a stress ball, fidgets can reduce the anxiety in that precise moment and allows us to refocus.
Safety Plan – contact information of support and resources when coping skills aren’t enough. Being proactive before a crisis occurs lessens the feeling of not being heard and lessens any additional pain to what we are already feeling.
Final Thoughts:
When we are in the moment of our own emotions, it can feel like an eternity. Validate that feeling! It’s okay to not be okay right now. Your emotions are part of you, therefore it is meaningful no matter how big or small!
We will be covering a number of these tools in more detail over the next two weeks, so if you aren’t sure what might work for you stay tuned for more info!
Helpful Links & Sources:
To Do:
Follow the event on Facebook, Instagram, and join the Strava group.
Download the daily posters to use on social media.
Reflect on today’s tool and how you’ve incorporated it into your life or how you might incorporate it.
Post your reflection and physical activity on social media or the participant’s group to help spread the word and to encourage accountability and camaraderie.
Use the hashtags #movementismedicine and #firstrespondersarehuman on social media.
Comments