In Case of (emotional) Emergency: self-care form to fill out

This form was created to accompany the Self Care Kit: For Emotional First Aid with Heart Elixir, Tulsi Elixir, Yarrow Flower Essence, and Rose Relaxation Bath Fizzies.  The kit was created with the intention of preventing burn-out and helping to promote a culture of self-care and collective-care. More info here.  Feel free to print this form, fill it out, and share.

Click here for a copy that's easier to view and print.

____________________________________

In Case of (emotional) Emergency

To fill out when you’re feeling grounded, supported, calm, inspired, etc.  To read when you’re not.

I feel better when I (check all that apply/fill in the blanks)
□Go outside                                   □Call a friend                                   □Take time alone
□Share meals w/ loved ones.     □Scream into a pillow/in a car    □Dance
□Draw, color, paint, get crafty  □Play with kids                                □Cry it out
□Play soccer                                  □Connect with mentors/elders    □Go for a walk
□Have an orgasm (alone            □Clean my space/change it up     □
     or with someone else)            □Go bowling                                     □    
□Laugh (watch funny film,        □Light a candle                                □      

     hang out with fun folks)        □Get acupuncture/massage          □
□Go bowling                                 □Burn incense                                  □                        

□Massage myself with oils        □Am in water (shower, bath,         □
    before going to bed                    ocean, lake, puddle)

□Listen to good music like __________________________________________

□Watch these movies _____________________________________________


These plants support me: in the form of: tea, massage oil, bath, photos, hanging out with…

□Rose              □Milky oats           □Tulsi                    □Cinnamon      
□Nettles          □Chamomile         □Licorice root      □__________    
□Calendula     □Pine trees            □Lemon Balm     □__________
□Sunflower     □Garlic                   □Corn                    □__________

My (emotional) emergency contacts are:
I can call this person/these friends, mentors, family members, neighbors, hotlines…
*
*
*
*
*

Other suggestions:
-Start with the Basics:  Breathe.  Breathe.  Drink water!  Eat good food!

-Drained from dealing with (or not dealing with) conflict?  Role-play difficult situations/
 conversations with a friend.

-Reach-out!  Let folks know you could use some support (face-to-face or via calls/email/text/Facebook, etc.  Don’t rely on telepathy with this one!)

-Is there an element out of balance?  (Are you feeling angry, fiery, frustrated?  Get in water!
 Feeling uber-emotional or really flakey?  Go outside and feel the earth under your feet.)

-Connect with what grounds you with your deep self (beyond our daily lives): nature, meditating, looking at old photos, talking with old friends who know you well, etc.

-Take times of transition/stress to re-evaluate and learn from it all (when you’re ready)

   Take as much space as you'd like for more notes, drawings, whatever you like…

By Dana L Woodruff, community herbalist and health educator,  Dandelioness Herbals
dandelionessherbals.blogspot.com  dandelionessherbals.etsy.com  @dandelionessherbals
dandelion778@yahoo.com   facebook.com/dandelionessherbals

Talking Plants/Talking Justice: Plant Medicine and Social Justice Interview with Dana Woodruff of Dandelioness Herbals

I was recently interviewed by Ann Armbrecht, co-creator of Numen: The Nature of Plants!  You can check out the full interview here: Plant Medicine and Social Justice with Dana Woodruff. Ann Armbrecht also interviewed folk herbalist and food activist Sandra Lory of Mandala Botanicals here.  Thank you, Ann, for supporting grassroots community herbalism!


Plant Medicine And Social Justice With Dana Woodruff

From the first time I met Dana, I have been so impressed with both her knowledge of and dedication to the plants and herbal medicine and her willingness to talk about topics that herbalists don’t tend to talk about: healthy sexuality, gender identity, social justice and power, and more (you can read about some of those on her blog!). I have especially been interested in her work in prisons and with migrant farm workers, teaching them about herbs, learning from them, and helping them get rights they are often denied. Like Sandra Lory’s work (with whom Dana often teaches workshops), Dana is doing incredibly important work educating about self care and building community health and making sure that this knowledge is accessible to whoever wants it. I was thrilled to finally be able to hear about Dana’s work. Dana’s blog, Dandelioness Herbals is an incredible resource with recipes, resources, reflections and more. Dana also sells her herbal remedies at her Etsy shop. Check them out!

Ann: To start, I’d love to hear how you first got interested in herbal medicine, a bit about the training that you’ve had, and the focus of your work with plants.

Dana: Like so many raised in the US, much of my ancestral lineage has been lost by the process of assimilation.  My childhood in Central Maine wasn’t infused with the plant medicine traditions of my ancestors from Ireland, Scotland, and England. Living rurally, though, I was surrounded by plants.  My mom took us out on wildflower walks, in the spring Grammy and Pop-Pop took me to harvest Dandelion greens. We’d eat fiddleheads and we’d eat out of the gardens in the summer. I grew up in a family with a history of being healthworkers, crafters, and farmers.

Click here to read the entire interview...