Comfort Box Suggestions

@Neonnebulous I have had a friend using that. Ill make sure to get to know more about that and revert back for sure.

I'm sorry to hear about you experiencing lot of anxiety and panic attacks during class. What a great suggestion made by your therapist!

What if for sight you: use a keychain ... a drawn, colored-in, and cut-out flower or apple or pencil ... a marble, etc

What if for touch you: use a penny ... a pen cap ... a pin

What if for smell you: use a life saver mint ... a perfume scented sample stick they give you at department stores... a few coffee beans

What if for hear you: thinking about the sound of a car honking ... thinking about how an A/C sounds ... thinking about birds chirping ... any actual external sounds around you like typing

What if for taste you: just think about something that you recently ate or drank and how it tastes ... how an orange or apple taste ... any other taste that you really like or are easily able to think of

I was inspired to respond to your post because the suggestion your therapist gave you of the comfort box reminded me of the anxiety coping technique I saw from a poster in this forum called "5-4-3-2-1" for grounding yourself and recognizing the senses around you. It was really helpful for me when I tried it earlier in the day today -- so I thought I would try my best to give another person suggestions to what seems like a similar exercise!

@Neonnebulous i use something called olbas ooil for smell, that alone grounds me and settles my stomach when i feel like throwing up and keeps me conscious when i fgeel like ill pass out, hope this helps :)

@Neonnebulous Hey there, what an awesome idea! I personally have never tried something like this before, but I have used various objects for comfort when I have severe anxiety (like stuffed animals). Have you considered things that represent your interests? Something that brings joy as well as relaxation is a huge plus. Let us know how it works out!

@Neonnebulous

Hi! I have no personal experience with this tool, but I have helped a few people put together "sensory boxes", for a variety of reasons including autism, sensory processing disorder et cetera, so I do have an idea of what could go into the box. The general idea is just to put in anything that you feel can ground yourself, and give yourself a physical thing to focus on. So, here are some suggestions:

Sight: A painting, a marble (with many colours), a prism, a colourful crystal, a kalidescope

Hearing: A maracas, rice in a bottle, a windchime, a triangle (the musical instrument)

Smell: Some perfume, a scented bag of herbs and spices, a smell that you are used to and associate with comfort (can be anything in your life)

Taste: Mints, chewing gum, M&Ms, anything that is small and can be kept without spoiling

Touch: A soft toy, knitted items, crocheted items, smooth pebbles, anything with a soothing texture

This is by no means an exhuastive list, so feel free to experiement and see what works for you! Some other things that you may like to keep handy (not necessarily in this box) are some soft toys, a weighted "comfort blanket", and a fidget toy or something similar. They generally tend to help with anxiety! So good luck, and I hope this helped!

some additions for the sensory box: for sound, most people have cell phones that can play recordings...

so recordings on the phone or ipod-ocean sounds, heartbeat, babbling brook, seagulls, purring cat...

for touch: textural, soft or smooth fabric swatches, rabbit fur, faux fur, sea glass, bean-bag, therapy putty, stress ball/toy, pendant/charm, worry stone, charm bracelet, leather/faux leather, shoestring, feather, velcro

taste: chewable vitamins,cheerios, jerky