If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only bring five things with you, what would you bring? Assume that clothing, food, water and shelter are all taken care of. What would you bring? What would make your life better? What can’t you live without?

Here’s my list of five things I can’t live without:

1. My Phone! Let’s just assume there’s electricity on this island because let’s be honest; I could not be okay without it. I use my phone so much. From writing my blog posts, to keeping in touch with my family and friends, to helping me calm down and relax after a stressful/anxiety ridden day, my phone is a necessity in my life. While it’s definitely nice to unplug from everything, I can’t go very long without my phone or I start to feel insane. Being alone on an island would be difficult enough, but being without human connection? Not good. At least this way I’ll still be able to text, call, and FaceTime my people back home.

2. My kindle! Again, assume I have a way to charge it and connect to WiFi… This is starting to sound like a pretty great island for introverts like me… Anyway, I love reading. I’ve been in love with books since second grade when I read The Wizard Of Oz. I grew up listening to my mom reading books to me like Harry Potter and Eragon. I wouldn’t be able to stay sane without them. If I’m going to be on this island all alone, I’m going to need some form of entertainment other than my phone, and my kindle is just perfect! I can store so many books on there that can keep me entertained for hours at a time. I love immersing myself in a good story.

3. Sketchbook & Pencils! I know that’s more than one thing, but we’re just gonna lump them together for this. I don’t consider myself an artist or anything, but I love being able to draw, sketch and just write everything down. There’s something so relaxing and relieving about it. It helps me cope with my anxiety and calm my brain down a little bit. Seeing all my ideas on paper makes everything easier to think about and sort through. I’m not stuck going in circles over and over again in my head.

4. Headphones! I don’t know about you, but I have to be able to block out other noise and just listen to some good music. It helps me relax and it makes me happy. A lot of noises also tend to annoy the heck out of me, so headphones are my way of staying calm sometimes. If I’m going to be trapped with a bunch of noisy bugs and who knows what else, I might has well have a way to forget about it all for a little bit. Music has a way of taking me to a whole new place and time sometimes. One moment, I’m sitting on my couch. The next minute, I’m back in seventh grade reliving the first heartbreak I ever had. It’s not always sad moments like that, but you get the point.

5. Soap & Lotion! I HATE being dirty! It makes me feel so bad about myself and just generally feels gross. I can’t enjoy myself if I’m not clean. I don’t honestly understand people that go days without showering. Sometimes I just step outside and I immediately feel like I need a good shower. Living on an island, I’d probably want to wash off a couple times a day so lotion would also be a necessity. Gotta lock that moisture in!

I couldn’t live on an island without these things honestly. They all help me in different ways and make my life a lot richer (or cleaner). There’s a lot more stuff that I would love to bring with me but these would be the first things packed for sure. I don’t really go anywhere without them. Other than soap. I don’t tend to carry that around in my purse.

What’s something you can’t live without?