Build a Care Package for Someone with Depression
I’m Audrey Harper — the woman behind BPD Beautiful, a BPD recovery blog that aims to spread BPD awareness and assist others in understanding those living with BPD. This post features product ideas for a DIY depression care package for either your loved one with depression, a charity serving a depressed community or even for yourself.
Since BPD Beautiful is a BPD recovery blog, of course I have to mention the correlation between depression and borderline personality disorder at least once in this post. Here are some statistics originally found on verywellmind.
BPD and depression commonly occur together. One study found that about 96% of patients with BPD met criteria for a mood disorder. In this study, about 83% of patients with BPD also met criteria for major depressive disorder, and about 39% of patients with BPD also met criteria for dysthymic disorder.
Depression tends to present itself differently in people with borderline personality disorder. Depressive episodes for people with borderline personality disorder are often triggered by interpersonal triggers, like the end of a relationship. Depression alone is commonly associated with feelings of sadness or guilt. Depression with BPD usually brings about intense shame (feeling evil or bad), anger, desperate loneliness, boredom and emptiness.
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Regardless of whether your loved one (or yourself) has depression with BPD or without, a strong support system can be incredibly helpful. Speaking as someone who’s had both borderline personality disorder and depression, I know firsthand that the support and love given by a family member or a friend can be a huge game changer in recovery.
If you’ve been looking for DIY depression care package ideas, you’ve come to the right place. The perfect depression care package would include products that make the life and treatment of someone living with depression just a little bit easier. Depression can affect a person’s hygiene or self care habits, wellbeing, nutritional needs, productivity and much more. It can also make finding and maintaining motivation a near impossible feat.
The above is what I kept in mind when making this post. I only included ideas that I believed would be 1) easiest to start, 2) easiest to use and 3) most practical.
You don’t want your depression care package to sit around unused due to it containing well intended and thoughtful products that also happen to be things that feel intensely overwhelming to someone who is likely feeling exhausted and hopeless.
I’ve broken down the depression care package ideas into five groups: easy hygiene, easy wellbeing, easy nutrition, easy self care and easy comfort.
Without further ado, here are top product ideas for a depression care package or a self care package for depression.
Easy Hygiene for Depression Care Packages
People who have never experienced depression may be surprised to find out that hygiene can easily fall by the wayside. Brushing your teeth, showering, washing your face…these relatively simple tasks can feel like huge endeavors to someone living with BPD and depression, or major depression.
Luckily, there are products that can make depression and hygiene an easier battle to face. Things like…
- Disposable Toothbrushes
- Face Wipes
- Dry Shampoo
- Dandruff Spray
- Hand Sanitizer Spray
If you’re looking for specific ideas or links to buy these products individually wrapped or in bulk, consider some of these:
Easy Wellbeing
Most people know that taking care of your mental and physical wellbeing is essential for a happy life. However—with depression, wellbeing can be the farthest thing from your mind. To put it simply, it’s hard to take care of yourself when you may be struggling to just get out of bed in the morning.
Struggles with wellbeing in depression can involve having trouble falling asleep, not getting enough vitamins or having next to no energy to complete everyday tasks. To include products in your depression care package that could aid a person with depression’s wellness needs, think of things like…
- Melatonin
- Multivitamins
- Probiotics
- Mood Supplements
- Energy Supplements
If you’re looking for specific ideas or links to buy these products individually wrapped or in bulk, consider some of these:
Easy Comfort for Depression Care Packages
We could all use some comfort from time to time. With depression, comfort can be hard to acquire either from self-inflicted isolation, an inability to express a need for comfort or from a lack of firsthand understanding from those in your support system. That’s why it’s a good idea to incorporate comforting products in your depression care package.
Of course, comfort is subjective but most people find comfort in warmth, deep pressure touch or loose, nonrestrictive clothes. Things like the following come to mind…
- Fuzzy Socks
- Slippers
- Pajamas
- Active Wear
- Weighted Blanket
- Oversized Hoodie
If you’re looking for specific ideas or links to buy these products individually wrapped or in bulk, consider some of these:
Easy Nutrition
Healthy eating and nutrition is a component of a healthy wellbeing but it’s such an important, essential thing in life that I made it into a category of its own. There are also SO many different options to choose from when it comes to making a DIY depression care package.
Likewise to wellbeing, maintaining a healthy diet when you’re depressed can be incredibly difficult. Meal planning and following recipes or even just whipping something up with items in your fridge takes lots of time, energy and effort. Washing dishes or cleaning the kitchen after can make the process even more overwhelming.
So for food products in a depression care package, think of items that are a quick “grab and go” solution and that are, for the most part, nutritionally sound or healthy. This could include…
- Fruit bars
- Natural food bars
- Trail mix, nuts & dried fruit
- Instant meals
- Paper dishes & plastic utensils
- Grocery delivery
If you’re looking for specific ideas or links to buy these products individually wrapped or in bulk, consider some of these:
Easy Self-Help for Depression Care Packages
While therapy and medication can be imperative in depression treatment, taking time to help yourself is also fundamental. Self-help looks different for everyone, and some people with depression are more resistant to the practice of it than others.
Consider the person who will be receiving your depression care package. If you know them personally, are they the type of person who rolls their eyes at affirmations or the “self love movement”? Do they hate to read and write? If so, it’s probably best to leave those types of items out, or think of a different, more fitting alternative like small items that relate to their hobbies or interests. Self-Help products could be anything like…
- Affirmation Cards
- Self-Help Workbooks
- Books about Depression
- Audiobooks about Depression
- Practical Journals
If you’re looking for specific ideas or links to buy these products individually wrapped or in bulk, consider 6some of these:
Other Tips
If your depression care package is for someone you know personally—a handwritten card, poem, photo or artwork might be a nice touch that could bring a smile to your recipient’s face. Remind them that they’re in your thoughts (& prayers, if you’re into that) and to feel free to reach out to you for support / help or to get together; keep in mind, they may not take you up on your offer if they’ve been isolating themselves or have a habit of pretending everything’s fine. So don’t forget to check in every now and then.
To finish everything off, don’t forget to get a basket or a box, ribbon and cellophane wrap at Amazon or Michael’s. You could also check out a thrift store.
There you have it! 75 ideas for a depression care package or self care package for depression.
BPD Resources
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