Personal Stress Management Plan

Personal Stress Management Plan

Plan Assessment

After a week of using my plan, I think it worked. The positive thinking really helped my attitude and I could feel it rubbing off on others around me. I'm a waitress and one man even left me a huge tip and wrote on the receipt "because you smiled the whole time". Because I felt positive about minor setbacks, I often caught myself enjoying things, when I would otherwise feel stressed about something out of my control.

Equally important, the journaling made a impact that helped me feel less stressed. It helped me list my priorities, so when my boss asked me to work, but I had a paper due that night, I had to tell her I couldn't, and for once I didn't feel guilty saying no. The only thing that I might consider changing the amount of time I spend with certain friends. Some of the people I hang out with are very negative, and I did not realize that until I did this project and really understood the way toxic thoughts can really affect your health, happiness and stress. Keeping better company will help improve the outcomes of my plan.

The Plan

How will I reduce stress?

Coping Skills

• Limit my toxic thoughts and reframe them by using thought-stopping, this will help me have a positive attitude, which will assist me in being more susceptible to original thoughts and keep my stress levels low.
• I will acknowledge my priorities and by order, prioritize my time to improve my time management skills.

I plan on journaling to help alleviate stress. I started this about a week before I put my plan in action. It seemed to really help me organize my thoughts and get things down on paper.

I think doing this will help my thoughts be positive and will help me manage my priorities to manage my time.

Rationale

• I am a firm believer that your thoughts reflect your personality which reflect your character. It is hard to always be positive about everything, especially when it seems like everything is falling apart, but I think positive thinking will help me and others around me to not feel as much stress.
• It is a proven fact that journaling helps relieve stress and can have beneficial health aspects.

Response to Stressors

Behavior Change

What I Expect

Work Trigger

I expect to have a more understanding attitude because of the positive thoughts.

I also think that I will be able to prioritize better because seeing them on paper (journaling).

I know that it will not be an overnight change, but hopefully slowly I will be able to change my mentality to think more positively.

My behavior change will be to thought stop my toxic thoughts by using reframing. I am typically a positive person, but there are some aspects of life I could have a more positive attitude about.

When I begin to think of something in a negative light, I will ask myself if I would let someone else talk to me like that, if not, I will immediately stop and attempt to see the situation from a different point of view.

Top Five Stressors

At the beginning of the semester, I was unemployed and attempting to support myself for the first time. This was increasingly stressful because of the constant pressure from family to succeed. A few weeks ago the restaurant (job I was waiting for) did finally open, but with a new job comes new stressors and a getting accustomed to a new routine.

• I respond to stressors physically by eating unhealthy and generally not taking care of myself. Because I do not take care of myself, my immune system lowers, and I get sick very easily. I have had strep twice this semester, as well as a cold.
• Psychologically, I respond by loosing sleep, getting anxious and lose the ability to focus. This hinders my ablity to do well on exams, assignments and stay on top of school work, which only causes more stress.

Time Management Triggers

1. Work

2. Time Management

3. Budgeting

4. Family

5. School

As a college student, I have taken on too much in daily life. With work, camp, school, volunteering and an attempted social life it is very difficult to fit everything in and it seems the things that should be the most important get neglected. Time Management is not my forte in my personal life.

Budgeting Triggers

School Triggers

Family Triggers

Because I was not earning a lot of money at the camp I worked at and was waiting for my new job to open I was very low on funds. Because I pay for school, and my living expenses I was feeling a lot of stress because I didn't have enough to cover everything.

Obviously school is a huge stressor for any student. I have changed my major multiple times but I do feel like I have finally found a major that I will really enjoy.

Family is a stressor for a lot of people, but especially with the clawing idea in the back of my mind that I will let them down. They do not agree with my career path and that is stressful.