I’ve been putting together my anxiety comfort box every year now and I have to say they really are a lifesaver. Some people call this an anxiety toolbox as it has the tools needed to help you overcome the anxiety that you’re feeling, whereas I just call it my comfort box.

What Is A Mental Health Comfort Box

What Is A Mental Health Comfort Box? Well simply put it’s a box filled with bits that are going to make you happy. The anxiety comfort box is designed to help you out when you’re feeling anxious, depressed or struggling with general mental health. It’s perfect for anxiety help, depression helps to just relax and have a nice time. I call the box a mental health comfort box, anxiety comfort box and a simple comfort box. This is because it has so many uses I can never pick a specific name!

If you want to get really fancy you can call it your anti anxiety box, but really you can call it whatever you want as long as it’s full of the things you need to ground you.

What To Put Into A Comfort Box

If you’re feeling anxious then it’s time to crack out the comfort box. It’s up to you what coping mechanisms you put into the box, however, make sure that it’s something which will make you happy and help cope with your stress, anxiety, depression and whatever else might be getting you down. Here’s a few bits that I have in my pamper comfort box this year!

One thing you have to remember, don’t stress out about your relax box! It can look however you want, it can be a plain cardboard box if you want it to or you can decorate it any way that you want!

Anxiety comfort box - relax box - anti anxiety box - comfort box
Unsplash – @umbra_media

What’s In My Anxiety Comfort Box?

What’s In My Anxiety Comfort Box? As I’ve said before every year I do a different box, my first one was about films and chilling out, the second was a luxury comfort box although I found was a bit too pricey to replace all the time. This time we’re going full on pamper box.

Remember if you’re putting food in your comfort box make sure that you understand what foods cause anxiety so that you don’t fill your box full of all the harmful stuff!

Comfort Food

So, of course, you don’t want loads of junk food in your box as it can have a negative impact on your mood. That being said my box always has Cadbury chocolate in it, it’s the best chocolate in my opinion so why wouldn’t I put it in there!

Face Mask & Foot Mask

I find it difficult to sit still for a long period of time, which is why I find these masks to be a life saver. You really can’t be walking around and getting on with stuff if you have a mask on your face and feet! They’re super relaxing and do great things for the skin!

Movie Comfort Box

I love watching movies and I fill my box with all my favourites. First Knight, The Social Climber and Entrapment are my top three films that always make a feature in my comfort anxiety box and I normally watch all three!

Unsplash – @artcoastdesign

When should you use your anxiety comfort box?

You can use your anxiety comfort box whenever you feel that you need to. I use mine a couple of times a year, I will say that if you use it don’t forget to fill it back up with goodies and maybe try something new!

There are subscription services out there you can use so you get a box every month so maybe check them out if you don’t have the time although I really like mine to be personalised and special to myself.

I’m a firm believer in taking some time for yourself and making sure that you’re okay. Which is why I love my DIY comfort box and the fact that anyone can make them and it can be totally beneficial.

If you’ve made yourself a comfort box this year and you’ve put totally different bits in there that I haven’t even thought about then be sure to leave me a comment so I can see what you used! I’m always looking for inspiration, I just make sure my bits aren’t too expensive because they’ll need replacing throughout the year at least once!

How To Make An Anxiety Comfort Box

I am so happy to see that comfort boxes have taken off in the last few years. Since I started talking about them back in 2017 and making them myself it’s really taken off. I will say that to begin with people didn’t really like the idea but these days you can buy your own generic soothing boxes from Etsy and there are hundreds of comfort box templates online!

The key is to find a box, it doesn’t have to look amazing or be your favourite box but a nice one always helps as it will help you be more invested when you make or use your box! It’s now 2021 and I’ve upgraded my box to a Pokemon box! You can see in my latest video!

Next you’ll want to fill it with items that mean something to you or help you relax. Keep reading to find out about how you should tailor your comfort box to the five senses. I see my comfort box as an indulgent as well, something that I wouldn’t normally have although when I’m feeling blue it really helps and is a total pick me up!

Childrens Self Soothe Box

The comfort box is also known as a self soothe box which is normally aimed towards children, for seceral reasons. Children can suffer with anxiety just like adults and a coping box can be just the thing to help out. When making a childrens coping box it’s important to think about the 5 senses and how we can use these in a comfort box.

Touch – when you’re thinking about putting together a comfort box it’s always important to remember the touch element. I find that fidget spinners work really well. Also sensory items such as bubble wrap or tissue paper are great items to put in for children because of the texture but also the sound.

Smell – When it comes to the smell element of a comfort box, I like to add a candle into the mix. Of course if it’s a childrens soothe box then an adult may need to light the candle. You can also add wax melts as some of them smell very strongly and can fill up the room even when they’re not used with a wax burner.

Sight – In terms of sight I would suggest some night photos. In the past I have added movies into mine, you’re relaxing and watching a film and I think an anxiety box should help you take the focus from the anxiety and who doesn’t love watching a good film?

Taste – Chocolate or sweets, in my opinion are the best to include in a safe safe box! They taste amazing and who doesn’t love to induldge every now and again? I think everyone enjoys sweets and chocolate so why not!

Hearing – Hearing is an easy one and you can combine them all here. Popping candy can be both hearing and taste. Watching a film is hearing and sight. I would suggest making a good playlist but you physically can’t put that into your box and it’s always on hand. So have a little fun with this one!

Creating An Anxiety Box - How To Create A Comfort Box