Mental Health Awareness Week: Self-care tips for managing anxiety and wellbeing with sight loss

Building a Self-Care Kit for anxiety and wellbeing

Mental Health Awareness Week is an important reminder that looking after our mental wellbeing matters just as much as looking after our physical health. Living with sight loss can sometimes affect confidence, independence, and emotional wellbeing, which is why finding healthy coping strategies is so important.

I'm Gemma and I'm a Rehabilitation and Mobility Officer with Sight Scotland and Sight Scotland Veterans. Over the last decade, I’ve learned that one of the most helpful things I can have during difficult moments is a personal “Self-Care Kit” — a collection of tools, activities, and comforting experiences that help me manage anxiety and support my mental health.

Think of it like a first aid kit, but for emotional wellbeing.

When we have a physical injury, we tend to it straight away with a plaster or bandage. But when we experience emotional pain, stress, or anxiety, we often ignore it or push through it. However, our mental health deserves just as much care and attention.

Living with anxiety and learning to ask for help

Like many people, I struggle with anxiety. Sometimes it appears without warning, but often it’s triggered by something specific, such as a smell, a place, a memory, or even a feeling. While I can’t always control those triggers, I have learned that I can control how I respond.

That’s where my Self-Care Kit comes in.

Over the years, I’ve developed small coping strategies that ground me and help me feel calmer when my mental health fluctuates. I’ve also learned that asking for help is not a weakness, but rather a strength. Reaching out for support can make all the difference.

What is a Self-Care Kit?

A Self-Care Kit is a collection of things that can comfort you, boost your mood, and help you feel safe and supported during difficult moments. These can be physical items, activities, sounds, smells, or experiences.

Everyone’s kit will look different, and that’s the beauty of it.

I like to think about self-care through the senses: smell, touch, sound, taste, and creative expression.

Smell: using scent to calm anxiety

Smell can have a powerful effect on our emotions and stress levels. Research suggests that calming scents can improve mood and promote relaxation.

One of my favourite self-care tools is a lavender roll-on oil, which I apply to my wrists and temples before stressful situations such as interviews or presentations. The familiar scent helps me feel calmer and more grounded.

Taste: comfort, routine, and mindful choices

Many of us reach for comfort food when we’re feeling low — mine is chocolate. But making healthier choices where possible can help support our mood and energy levels too.

Taste and smell are closely connected to the brain, which is why food and drink can feel comforting or nostalgic. For me, something as simple as my morning coffee is an important part of my daily self-care routine.

Touch: finding comfort through familiar objects

Touch can also help us feel safe and connected.

For me, I often touch and twist a ring that I wear whenever I feel overwhelmed. Because it holds positive memories, it helps me feel balanced and calm. Fidget tools can be incredibly helpful for managing anxiety and stress, especially during overwhelming situations.

Sound: music, nature, and emotional wellbeing

Sound and music can evoke powerful emotions and help us reconnect with ourselves. Creating a playlist of your favourite songs can be a simple but effective way to boost your mood. Even listening to music for a few minutes a day can have a positive impact on wellbeing.

I also find calming sounds relaxing, especially the sound of thunderstorms when I struggle to sleep.

Nature is another important part of my self-care routine. Listening to birdsong, leaves rustling in the wind, or simply going for a walk can help quiet anxious thoughts and bring mental clarity. Spending time outdoors encourages mindfulness and reminds us to slow down and breathe.

Writing and journalling for mental health

Writing has always been one of the most important tools in my Self-Care Kit.

I journal regularly because it helps me process my thoughts and emotions. When I was in hospital, I struggled to write, and I found that incredibly difficult. Instead, I started recording verbal journals using my phone and speaking my thoughts out loud.

That experience became incredibly cathartic and helped support my mental health during a challenging time.

If writing feels difficult because of sight loss, there are accessible alternatives available. Voice notes, audio recorders, or assistive technology can all help. Rehabilitation Workers at Sight Scotland can also provide support with writing guides and accessible aids to help people continue expressing themselves creatively and emotionally.

Small self-care tools can make a big difference

Mental health support does not always have to involve big changes. Sometimes the smallest routines, comforts, or grounding techniques can help us through difficult moments.

Your Self-Care Kit might include music, movement, journalling, comforting scents, favourite drinks, supportive people, mindfulness exercises, or time in nature. What matters most is finding what works for you.

As Matt Haig once said:

“Mental health problems don’t define who you are. They are something you experience. You walk in the rain and you feel the rain, but importantly, you are not the rain.”

That quote reminds me that difficult feelings are temporary, and support is always available.

Our Support Line

We know that living with an eye condition can be overwhelming, and it can be hard to know where to turn for help. We're here to listen.

Call our Support Line and we can talk through your concerns, offer impartial advice, and help find solutions together. You don't have to navigate sight loss alone.

Veterans Support Line:0800 035 6409.

Non-veterans Support Line: 0800 024 8973

Find out more about our support services here