Being prepared for a crisis before it happens is essential, whether that crisis is big or small. You know this is going to be challenging and, frankly, might suck. But you want to be able to handle it with poise, and do your best to get through it without making things any more difficult than they have to be.
An emotional crisis kit can help make that happen. The crisis kit is a set of easy to use skills. While they don’t necessarily fix the situation, they do help to not make the situation any worse. By creating the kit in advance, we are able to have skills set up for when a crisis arrives, instead of searching our brains for a way to handle it when we are already overloaded.
What is a crisis kit?
A crisis kit should be: something that’s easy to take with you when traveling, is calming to look at, and is always kept in an obvious spot. How you put this together is totally up to you. There’s no one right way. One method is to write coping skill ideas on small slips of paper and put those in a bag. This way, when you feel you need help coping, you can quickly pull an idea out and give it a try. Another way is to have a box which you fill with things to use in a crisis.
What goes in the crisis kit?
Now, let’s brainstorm what kind of skills can go in the box. Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, a skills training treatment, has a whole chapter on this subject called Distress Tolerance. When I educate clients on this chapter, I tell them that these are those “last resort” skills. All the other tools in your toolbox either didn’t help prevent the problem, or you didn’t know the problem was coming until it arrived. This chapter has many helpful acronyms with lists of ideas and tips, but today I want to focus on the ACCEPTS skills. Below is a breakdown of each letter in the acronym, and each letter will give you guidance on what to put into your crisis kit.
A.C.C.E.P.T.
Activities – These are things to do during a crisis that can be distracting. Watch TV, take a shower, go for a walk, look at your favorite work of art. When thinking of activities to put into your crisis kit, think of things that are easy to do, and don’t take too much preparation.
Contribute – Contribute to a long term goal you’re working on, or help out a friend. Write down small things you can accomplish towards a long term goal, and put those ideas in your kit as a way to get through a crisis.
Comparison – Think of some ways in which you have improved over the last few years. You may want to write these down and add them to your kit.
Emotions – Do things that evoke different emotions. Listen to a song, read a poem, watch a comedy. What you do here depends on the emotion you’re trying to feel.
Pushing Away – Meditation is very helpful for this one. Imagine yourself putting your thoughts on a shelf, so you can come back to them when the crisis is starting to feel easier to handle. You can draw a picture of a box to put into your crisis kit so you will remember this skill. Don’t use this skill to forget about your thoughts; instead, think of it as a pause.
Thoughts – Do something that either provokes positive thoughts, or distracts your mind. Call up a friend and listen to them, do a puzzle, read a story.
Sensations – Think of different sensations you can feel that may be distracting or soothing. Take a hot both, drink tea, touch something soft, listen to soothing music.
There are so many ideas and things one can do to make a successful toolkit. Try and work on this kit when you’re not in a crisis, so you can be ready to face any situation. Remember, there’s no one way to make a kit, and what works for someone else may not work for you. A crisis kit can be flexible, it may change with time and should continue to grow. As long as you feel better equipped to handle moments of crisis, you’ve got the best kit for you.
