February is a struggle for me – every single year… and I know it is a struggle for a lot of folx. So last year I decided to create a February survival kit for myself. These are things that I can turn to when I really need some support. Some of them are practices, some are physical objects… but they all support me in a way that helps me to feel safe, and they remind me that winter is a necessary part of the cycle, even when it feels really challenging.
My current February Survival Kit:
- My favourite blanket (currently a purple Haunted Mansion blanket I received as a gift from a dear friend)
- A stash of my favourite chocolates
- 4-7-9 breathing for high anxiety situations
- Alternate nostril breathing to help me focus and be present to the current moment
- 2 colouring books that genuinely bring me joy and a stash of pencil crayons
- At least one book that I have read multiple times that I love and feels like an old friend – this year my planned book(s) are the Fionavar Tapestry by Guy Gavriel Kay
- A brand new Star Wars Lego kit that I have been wanting to do for over a year
- I joined an online movement challenge with a group of larger bodied people to help keep me moving my body when I know I won’t want to
As you can see, your February survival kit doesn’t have to be complicated.. But it should cover a variety of options, so you can turn to it in a variety of circumstances and find something that will work for you in that moment.