Imagine the following conversation:
“911 – What’s Your Emergency?” “Do need police, fire or MEDIC?”
“I am stressed out!!! I need EVERYBODY!!!”
Actually, what you really need is to learn…
“Stress Emergency” Planning
Schools have fire drills in case of a fire. Play actors have rehearsals before the opening night. So, too, we need to learn Stress Emergency Planning before we get to the point of being overwhelmed by stress in our lives. Let’s consider a few things when making a plan for a real Stress Emergency.
Check Your Stress Emergency Kit
We all have ways we cope with the every day stress of life. Think about what you do when you are pulled in many directions at once. Is music your “go to”? Or do you get alone for a minute or two to collect your thoughts so you can focus on the ‘next thing’? Whatever your “go to” is, each of us need one…maybe more than one. That’s why Coach K encourages us to plan for the “when” of stress, not the “if”. 
Some common tools include:
- Breathing Exercises
- Body Scanning
- Progressive Muscle Relaxation
- Sensory Checks
Coach K has taken some time to update the MissionFiT ReStart Your Heart teaching on Stress Management to include calming techniques like these. This teaching includes videos and detailed instruction on performing these techniques. There’s even a sheet you can use to help you start forming the habit of regularly relieving stress, using these techniques. Watch why Coach K believes this is important.
Start Planning
Take a few minutes to log into the MissionFiT teaching. If you are a MissionFiT athlete, you should have the password to access the teaching. Then follow these steps:
Look for Class #7
Click on the “Wellness” section
- Review the different calming technique videos and try them out. See which ones resonate with you and pick a few that you like.
- Fill out the Stress Emergency Plan sheet – Emergency Planning.
- Keep a copy of this sheet in multiple areas of your life (i.e. office, home, car) – wherever you will have easy access to it.
- Practice your calm down plan techniques on a regular basis so it’s natural in the time of need.
Now Practice!
Remember to practice the techniques you’ve chosen to help relieve your stress. Feel free to customize your sheet and add new techniques that work for you. If one technique no longer works for you, ditch it. Anyone remember this drill?
As Coach K relates in one video, because a maintenance man created a plan after the 1993 bombing at the World Trade Center, he was able to remain calm and use the plan he developed and practiced to save over 2,000 lives some 8 years later in September 2001. Learn more from National Geographic.
