you're alright, you're okay

Heating Pad: Put it anywhere on the body where it relieves pain for you. Bonus points if the cover has some something nice on it. Ours has unicorns 🦄

Sippy cups with a soft opening: gives me something to bite on without the suffocation other oral stim toys sometimes give me. This is also a good one if you have jaw pain. 🍼

Your favorite candy: Helps ground and dispels taste flashbacks 🍬

Soft blanket: If you have to feel unwell at least the bed can be a pleasant sensory experience 🛏️

Calming music: Here’s a playlist to get you started but feel free to do whatever regulates you best

Flashcards with affirmations and grounding techniques: These should be kept wherever you are most likely to be when you experience flashbacks, eg. purse, nightstand 📝

Stuffed toys: Yes even adults can benefit from this! And if you age regress or are a system this will help the little ones feel safe 🧸 Hugging them distracts from other more unpleasant sensations

Ice packs: These can help ground you. Can also help with trauma related pain flairs 🧊

Most importantly remember that you will get through this. The sun always rises, the pain always lets go eventually. You deserve to live and see brighter days 💜

My favourite post that I referenced on my site about making a self-care box got taken down, so I made my own. 

Not knowing who to be angry at.

Being angry with yourself for letting it happen even if there was no way to stop it.

Crying and not knowing why.

Flashbacks where nothing bad is happening but it feels bad.

Denying that it ever even happened because your brain doesn't want to process it.

Wanting to go back to it so it feels "bad enough."

Intentionally triggering yourself to feel like your suffering is real.

Being angry all the time at every little thing.

Getting triggered by minor things and then being treated poorly because of your reaction to said trigger.

Hating change.

Being scared to sleep because you know you'll have nightmares.

Struggling to find hobbies that you enjoy.

Feeling like you're barely human.

Struggling to be positive about anything at all.

Feeling like you may be manipulating people around you into liking you.

Feeling like no one believes you because you barely even believe yourself.

Treating your past self as a "dead" version of you and feeling like a completely different person.

Being tired all the time, both physically and mentally.

Feeling like if you talk about it, your safety will be at risk.

Feeling the need to hide your trauma from everyone, including professionals there to help them.

Being paranoid everyone is going to hurt you.

Being physically incapable of talking about it.

Feeling like you're stuck reliving your trauma.

Having to skip classes or work days because of flashbacks.

Mourning your past self.

Wanting to hurt others so they feel what you feel.

Wondering why it had to be you and it wasn't someone else.

Chronic pain.

Clinging to "safe people."

Not being able to find a solid sense of identity.