In my darkest days of dealing with the pandemic, I learned about happy bags from my wonderful online therapy group. Several people mentioned using these feel better goodie bags to bring them out of the deep struggle we all kept finding ourselves trapped in.
Today I want to share my bliss caddy and help you create your own personalized happy bag to chase away the blues and support your mental health. Try some of my fillers or check out the many other joy inspiring ideas here to get started!
First, I must thank Ivy, the sweet owner of Mollie Ollie, for gifting me with this adorable Mimmo Caddy. It works for so many fun applications but it’s absolutely perfect for this project. And it also happens to be approved by my little morkie, Diego.
I quickly filled this adorable tote with some of my favorite emotional health supporters:
Let’s break down the contents… (Many of the links below are affiliate links which means if you purchase through them, I receive a small percentage at no additional cost to you. Please know I only recommend products I use and love! Learn more here: disclosure)
Mood Lifting Books and Movies
I love to to read. A little time lost in a good book always improves my mood. Having a few choices (but not too many!) will help you when you’re in need of different types of support.
Try books that make you laugh, inspire you, support a creative pursuit, or soothe your weary soul. Here are a few I’m reading right now:
- Your Second Act, Inspiring Stories of Reinvention by Patricia Heaton
- Praying God’s Word, Breaking Free from Spiritual Strongholds by Beth Moore
- The War of Art, Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield
- Emotions and Essential Oils. I have an older version. For more recent books on essential oils and emotional health, check out Oil Life.
I also include my favorite pen, a highlighter, and notecards to jot down quotes and Bible verses that make me smile.
Add a couple of your favorite movies. I chose RV with Robin Williams and Bridesmaids with Kristen Wiig. Both of these make me laugh which is always helpful, but you may prefer one that makes you cry healing tears for your bag.
We can find almost any movie or series to binge on our many streaming services. I like to keep actual DVDs in my bag for two reasons. One, it reminds me movies are a fantastic distraction in my roughest moments. But the more important reason is popping a movie into my DVD player can be much better for my mental health than searching Netflix for hours for the perfect thing to watch (this happens to me far too often).
If you don’t struggle with choice overload like me, you could just add a list of your favorite movies. Maybe try breaking them down into different categories and include what streaming service each one is currently available on.
Self-Care and Essential Oils
My #1 tool for mood support is essential oils. These are my absolute favorites:
(If you’re interested in learning all about these little natural wonders, including how to use them and the best way to get started, make sure to check out my free online Essential Oil 101 class.)
The side zippered pocket of the Mimmo Caddy has elastic bands that hold roller-bottles and both 5mL and 15mL essential oil bottles perfectly!
I also keep a small, portable diffuser, my most expensive essential oil (for the most pressing mood situations 😉), lemon lime drops in a cute container, and Slim and Sassy gum stashed in my bag.
The Verilux HappyLight pictured above is an older purchase I found when shopping my house for joy inducing goodies when I started this project. For some reason it ended up stashed in one of my office shelves completely unused! I bought it after seeing several recommendations for it and am excited to start using it now that it’s finally within eyeshot every day.
Other self-care items you might enjoy: your favorite hand lotion, tea bags, high-quality chocolate, mints, or pretty nail polish with mani-pedi supplies. The possibilities in this category are endless.
Various Happy Bag Stuffers
There are so many other mood lifting supplies to add to a feel good toolkit. Do you love crafts? Try adding some yarn and knitting needles, jewelry making supplies, or scrapbooking goodies.
Speaking of scrapbooking, fill a small photo album with pictures of your family and friends and tuck it into one of your happy bag compartments. This is a beautiful way to remind yourself of all the love in your life when you’re feeling extra down.
Do you find relief doodling in your Bible? Check out Creative Bible Journaling for a supply list and keep some of those goodies in your bag to help ward off unwanted painful emotions. This does double-duty by allowing God’s word to wash over you and giving you a fun craft outlet at the same time.
I hope this helps you get started with your own personalized mood lifting toolkit. Share some of your favorite emotional support tricks in the comments!
Make sure to check out the Mimmo Caddy! It really is amazing for this much-needed bag of JOY.
As always, thank you for being on this journey with me. If you’re new here, please subscribe to my free newsletter so we can get to know each other better!
Pin for later:
Gillian
Hi Candace,
A “happy bag” lol (I like it) what a lovely idea. Could you also add a little momento of a lovely place you visited. I love pebbles and shells. Or little ornaments. I’m a fan of essential oils too. Will sign up for your class in a couple of weeks. I’m already taking a work related course which is taking my time just now. Thank you for your blog. I’m really looking forward to reading your ideas.
Every blessing
Gillian
Candace
I’m so sorry for the delayed response, Gillian! I’ve been offline for a little while :). Thanks so much for sharing your great ideas. Those are wonderful additions.
The essential oil class is only about 20 minutes long. It’s just a quick introduction but still very helpful. Let me know if you have any questions about it!