Strategies for Coping with Trauma inlcuding the News

Strategies for Coping with the News | Portable Sensory Ladder®️ Self-Soothe or Calm Kits

DIY Calm Sensory Kits

Everyone is a sensory being. Our nervous systems are continuously receiving, organising and responding to information from inside our bodies and from the world around us. Most of the time, we build small, often unnoticed routines that help us feel steady. A morning coffee, a favourite scarf, a familiar song on the commute. These are not trivial habits. They are sensory strategieSince before 2002, we have been promotoing the use of self sootherand Be Calm KIts across the NHS for clients with trauma. Our OT News article and 2009 publication showcases their use for clients with trauma. This learning has been centeal to our mental health and wellbeing training. For more ideas, see our Sensory Choices Checklist, and FREE learning about Sensory Ladders®️.

When life becomes challenging, routines can shift. Stress, change, illness or crisis may reduce access to the very sensory anchors that usually support us. In those moments, we can become more intentional. We can look at the sensory properties of the occupations and activities we engage in and consider how to recreate or adapt them.

Portable self soothe kits are one gentle, practical way of doing this.

You might already carry elements of yours without naming them as such:
• a preferred tea or coffee offering familiar taste and smell
• hand cream providing scent and tactile input
• sunglasses to soften visual load
• headphones to regulate auditory input
• a playlist that brings rhythm, predictability or emotional connection

What is on your playlist.
What texture feels grounding in your hands.
What scent signals safety to your body.

When creating a portable self soothe kit, co production is essential. We do not assume what is calming. We explore together. We ask:

What helps your body feel more settled.
What input feels organising rather than overwhelming.
What environments increase or reduce your sense of control.

This is where Sensory Spiders™ can be especially helpful.

What’s on your playlist ?

A Sensory Spider™ is a visual, co produced mapping tool. It places the person at the centre and radiates outward across sensory systems such as vision, sound, touch, movement, body awareness, smell and taste. Together, you identify what feels:

• calming
• alerting
• overwhelming
• comforting
• distracting

This makes lived experience visible. It supports communication. It shifts the conversation from behaviour to body.

From the completed Sensory Spider™, you can select portable items that align with calming or organising inputs. For example:

If deep pressure is regulating, a small weighted object or textured stone may be helpful.
If movement supports focus, a resistance band or subtle fidget may be included.
If scent anchors safety, a familiar essential oil roll on might be chosen.

The key is not the object itself. The key is meaning, relationship and felt safety.

Portable self soothe kits are not about avoidance. They are about participation. They allow someone to remain present in work, education, travel or healthcare settings with greater autonomy and dignity.

Small sensory adjustments can create powerful shifts in how safe and able someone feels in their day.

If you would like to explore this further, begin by sketching a simple Sensory Spider™ with the person. Notice patterns. Be curious. Let the body lead the plan.

When considering what items to put into an individual self-soothe kit, it’s essential to work in co-production with the individual to explore their calming sensory spider strategies.

Explore more about sensory spiders.

How to set up a Portable Self-Soothe Kit?