Emergency Audio Card - Day 2 of 30 - Things That Make My Life Easier

I'm Jaren, a neurodivergent Mom of neurodivergent kids going back to school in my 40's. In this series, I'll be posting about things that make my life easier.

Today's post is kind of a weird one, but it's helpful to me. Especially during stressful political times.

My current Emergency Audio Card

The Emergency Audio Card

I carry what I have affectionately dubbed The Emergency Audio Card around my neck on a keychain wherever I go. It accompanies my bus pass, my school schedule and school ID. On it, there are 6 QR codes. Each QR code leads directly to a piece of audio I find soothing, depending on the extent of my overwhelm.

Here's what I have on it, currently:

1. For frustration - I play this when my system is overwhelmed and on the grumpy side. Like when I'm walking through Costco, where people don't know how to walk faster than .2 mph for some reason. (Malte Martin and Konstantin Rössler)

2. For anxiety - I play this when I have general unease and want to feel more safe and grounded. I just listened to this on my sofa while cuddling my dog after freaking out about the news yesterday. (Chantress Seba)

3. Study Music - I play binaural beats because I can't study with music or my brain likes to join in and I get distracted.

4. 5-Minute Meditation - I change this one now and again to various 5-minute breathing meditations for a quick fix.

5. 11- Minute Healing Meditation - I just love David Ji. I woke up to one of his meditations on autoplay years ago thinking it was Gob from Arrested Development and laughed my a** off and have been a fan ever since.

6. This Destructive Thoughts Meditation, also from David Ji.

Couldn't you just create a Spotify playlist? Sure, whatever floats your boat. (I avoid Spotify because f*ck the CEO who makes 235 million dollars a year while artists make .003 cents per stream.) But having a QR code gives me direct access to what I want when time counts and I need something STAT.

When I'm overwhelmed, the last thing I want to do is search for a playlist. If what I need is right in front of me, it becomes a tool.

Print your own using Canva and QR.io

Want make your own Emergency Audio Card?

Easy peasy.

1. Find the audio you want online. Copy the Url

2. Go to QR.io and input the link to your audio file

3. Screenshot your QR code

4. Go to Canva (open a free account)

5. Create a new document (I typed "business card" and found a blank template)

6. Drag and drop the QR code onto the card and label it

7. Repeat these steps for all the QR codes you use

8. Print and put it somewhere you can easily access when you need some help regulating your nervous system

There you have it! Day number 2 of 30 of things that make my life easier. My nervous system appreciates all the effort. Let me know what tips and tricks you use to reset your nervous system when you're feeling anxious, frustrated, or overwhelmed.

-Jaren