Reduce Stress With A Feel Better Plan (with PDF)

When Stress Strikes

A couple of years ago, I was in a particularly stressful time at work. We were forced into a merger of two establishments and my workload essentially doubled as the sole communications manager.

To be honest, I felt as if I couldn’t even see or understand all I needed to be doing on a daily, weekly or monthly basis.

To top it all off, the new director didn’t seem concerned enough to lay things out simply so that we could understand.

At one of our staff meetings, I started to feel anxious about it all and I experienced a panic attack for the first time in my life in front of all my colleagues. While I had experienced the regular ups and downs of everyday life like everyone else, I had always considered myself fairly anxiety and stress-free.

How could this be happening to me?

I was hyperventilating and yet it felt impossible to take a real breath. This was a super scary experience that made me take a hard look at my life and my stress levels.

At the time, quitting my job wasn’t a possibility, so I had to come up with a way to feel better and take care of the things over which I had control.

Getting Help

I knew that talking to someone would likely help, so I ended up making a few appointments with a Sophrologist. (For those of you not familiar with sophrology, it’s a stress-reduction technique based on body and breathwork, as well as guided visualizations.)

Making A Plan

Sophrology was just one part of my road to feeling better, so I decided to invent my own feel better plan. I looked at all the things in my control and decided how I could commit to changing those things in order to put everything in my favour for optimal physical and mental health.

This wasn’t a forever plan; it was simply a plan to implement for a few weeks until I was feeling better.My feel better plan wasn’t rocket science, but rather a list of food, exercise, activities, sleep and water requirements that would inspire wellness and put me in the best place to feel better.

I noted how I was feeling at the start, with specific issues and anxiety levels, and I gave myself an end date, at which point I reevaluated how I was feeling.

Guess what? It worked quite well!

While it did take a few more months to really feel 100% better, my plan certainly contributed to my feeling much more calm and optimistic in just a few short weeks.

Four Steps To Feeling Better

Sometimes despite our best efforts, things in life can get a little sticky or go awry. First of all, you are human and this is perfectly normal! It could be a particularly stressful time at work, a looming deadline, a family emergency or some other unpredictable event causing havoc or some level of anxiety.

What to do? Here are some thoughts.

(Disclaimer: I’m not a doctor or mental health specialist. These are my own ideas based on my own experiences.)

1. Recognize the situation and be extremely compassionate with yourself

As much as you can, focus on your own wellness. There’s no need to feel embarrassed or guilty for how you are feeling. Remember that by taking care of your health and needs, you will feel better and be more equipped to serve others. Just for now, try to put yourself first as lovingly as you can.

Your body responds to kindness!

2. Create a plan

Think about all the things that you know would help you to feel better.

• What foods will help you stay stable and give you energy?
• What movement can you do to feel better? How much sleep do you need to feel optimal (and is it feasible in this current situation)?
• What breathing or meditation activities can you bring in?
• Are there any other self-care or mindfulness activities that could be of use to you in this moment?
• Do you need outside help?

Reach out to those who may be able to help you. Write out your feel better plan. You can use this free PDF by clicking the image below to help you figure it out.

3. Stick with it for a set period of time

Give yourself the gift of consistency as much as possible. Create the space and time to put yourself first so that you can be feeling your best, despite the circumstances. This will be different for everyone and every situation; find a period of time that makes sense to you.

4. Reevaluate your situation and check in

Once you’ve implemented your plan for a while, take time to tune into how you are feeling.

• Are things getting better?
• How are your stress levels as compared to the start of the plan?
• What things are making a difference for you?
• Do you need to continue on with your plan for a while, or can you slowly back off a few things?

Finally, know that you can show yourself this compassion at any time you need in the future. Going through this process is building muscle memory in your body and mind. You will naturally come back to this plan if and when you feel the need.

I’d love to hear your go-to activities for times of stress! Jot them down in the comments, if you’d like to share them with me and this community.

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