How To Create a Personalized Plan to Manage Your Stress

And keep hope and joy close during the difficult times.

Nov 15, 2024

Hello! :) I’m Nospheratt, and this is Joy Every Week - a weekly quest to find joy in everyday things.
You’re 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 — 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, immigration…

So don’t let anyone tell you that it’s “none of your business” or that you shouldn’t be scared or stressed since you don’t 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. Let’s keep hope close to our hearts; let’s look for the light; let’s see how we can get through the next few days.

Since this are not ordinary circumstances, and we’re all overwhelmed,
I’m 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

We’re going to create a personalized plan to manage your election stress - an emergency stress kit, if you will.

We’ll work on 5 areas:

Simple, easy joy - today’s focus.
Body & soul comfort
Community
Safety
Self-Care

Joy Is Necessary

Like I’ve 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 there’s light among the darkness. (…) Joy is not only possible, but necessary.
A moment of joy in the midst of a crisis is like taking a breath when you’re 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 “Things that melt my stress away” list on my One List a Day journal; it’s 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 “ Dopamine Menu”2— which fits perfectly with the sort of thing we do here; it would work really well with our Joy Box.

If you’ve been on TikTok lately, you’ve probably come across a dopamine menu—a fun way to break down the little activities and moments that trigger dopamine, aka the “happy hormone.”
Like a restaurant menu, a “dopamine menu” 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 aren’t always available (or affordable), but it’s fantastic when they are

What would your menu offer?

Think about it, write it down, and keep somewhere visible — so you’ll remember to make use of it often.

Printable

To help you with this quest, I’ve create a printable menu.

Colorful menu divided in squares titled de-stressing, notes, appetizers, sides, desserts, and specials.

You can download the PDF here:

Simple Joy Menu - Joy Every Week

2.55MB ∙ PDF file

Download

Download and print it, or upload it to Canva and fill it before you print it. Whatever works for you! :)

That’s It For Today!

I have a lot more things to share, to help you manage these stressful days (and, let’s be honest, upcoming weeks). So don’t change the channel! 😁

And if you need help with some specific area, or would like to share how you’re dealing with your stress right now, leave a comment. I love hearing from you! 💚

Last but not least: don’t give up. We’re in this together. 💙

Until next week! —Nospheratt

Here: Small Sweet Joys. Check it out.

I just want another name for it, because “dopamine menu” sounds to me like a medical thing. 😬😂