How To Create a Personalized Plan to Manage Your Stress
And keep hope and joy close during the difficult times.
Hello! :) Iβm Nospheratt, and this is Joy Every Week - a weekly quest to find joy in everyday things.
Youβre receiving this either because you subscribed or someone forwarded it to you. Enjoy!
Most people I know are scared shitless right now. Including me.
Yeah. I am stressed. I am worried. As much as I wish otherwise, this election affects me.
It affects us all.
No matter where you live, the US election will affect you. Climate change action, perception and policies are at stake, for starters β whatever goes down in the United States has ripple effects both as influence for other countries and because of the actual, physical effects of their industries and business.
Same with human rights, economy, immigrationβ¦
So donβt let anyone tell you that itβs βnone of your businessβ or that you shouldnβt be scared or stressed since you donβt live in the US.
And I can only imagine how terrifying it must be to actually live there right now. Even only thinking about my USian friends makes me ill with worry.
But we shall not despair. Letβs keep hope close to our hearts; letβs look for the light; letβs see how we can get through the next few days.
Since this are not ordinary circumstances, and weβre all overwhelmed,
Iβm going to divide this in parts - to make it easier to actually make use of it.
So be on the lookout for a couple more emails from me next week! :)
Personalized Stress Plan
Weβre going to create a personalized plan to manage your election stress - an emergency stress kit, if you will.
Weβll work on 5 areas:
Simple, easy joy - todayβs focus.
Body & soul comfort
Community
Safety
Self-Care
Joy Is Necessary
Like Iβve said before and will say many, many times in the future, joy is vital during scary times.
The world is burning. Everything is breaking.
And so we look for joy, because joy is a subversive thing. Joy will keep you going. Joy will give you strength and flexibility. It will allow you to keep hope alive, because thereβs light among the darkness. (β¦) Joy is not only possible, but necessary.
A moment of joy in the midst of a crisis is like taking a breath when youβre drowning; that short moment when you manage to break the surface of the water and get the precious oxygen you need to keep going, to keep fighting, to not give up.
This is the moment for simple, easy joy.
Reducing Stress
The other day there was a βThings that melt my stress awayβ list on my One List a Day journal; itβs an excellent starting point. I wrote down:
Reading fanfic
Watching favorite TV shows
Going to a park
Coloring (either on paper or Happy Color)
Make your own list. What melts your stress away?
Focus on things that are easily available for you; that you can enjoy or engage in without much complication.
A Menu of Joy
Another thing I read about recently1 is a β Dopamine Menuβ2β which fits perfectly with the sort of thing we do here; it would work really well with our Joy Box.
If youβve been on TikTok lately, youβve probably come across a dopamine menuβa fun way to break down the little activities and moments that trigger dopamine, aka the βhappy hormone.β
Like a restaurant menu, a βdopamine menuβ is divided into categories, each representing a different type of experience that provides a pleasurable dopamine release.
Appetizers: Bite-sized activities that give you an immediate burst of pleasure
Entrees: Activities or moments that bring more satisfaction but require a bit more time and energy
Sides: The extras that might accompany more significant (or mundane) activities
Desserts: Things that you indulge in every once in a while
Specials: Activities that arenβt always available (or affordable), but itβs fantastic when they are
What would your menu offer?
Think about it, write it down, and keep somewhere visible β so youβll remember to make use of it often.
Printable
To help you with this quest, Iβve create a printable menu.
You can download the PDF here:
Download and print it, or upload it to Canva and fill it before you print it. Whatever works for you! :)
Thatβs It For Today!
I have a lot more things to share, to help you manage these stressful days (and, letβs be honest, upcoming weeks). So donβt change the channel! π
And if you need help with some specific area, or would like to share how youβre dealing with your stress right now, leave a comment. I love hearing from you! π
Last but not least: donβt give up. Weβre in this together. π
Until next week! βNospheratt
Here: Small Sweet Joys. Check it out.
I just want another name for it, because βdopamine menuβ sounds to me like a medical thing. π¬π
A menu of joy -- what a fabulous idea! I really love this, Nos.
Nos, I love this. It's so simple and actionable. Thank you!!