I used to be very bad at handling both stress and upsetting situations. After years of unhelpful
choices in this regard, I came up with what I call an “Emergency plan”.
As soon as I feel stressed or upset, I open and read the plan. It is made up of questions to
answer and tasks to perform, so it is easy to follow in such delicate situations. There are a
total of eight steps to follow.
First one is understanding if the environment is safe, so I basically ask myself if there is a
real, physical threat to which I’m reacting. Step two is recognising the type of emotional
distress I am feeling. These vary from person to person, I personally find myself having either
depressive or PTSD episodes. It is very important to realise what kind of situation we are in,
because different emergencies require different solutions. I also ask myself to rate the
intensity of the distress, which is important to reframe the situation and also understand if
there is the need to reach out to trained professionals on the spot.
For PTSD episodes, distractions are the key. So my emergency plan will recommend reaching
out to a friend or close person so I get a distraction from it. The less I think about it, the
better.
In case of depressive episodes, there are a few steps more to follow. I have a standardised
message I send to my close ones saying that I won’t respond to any texts because I am
struggling with my mental health and I need to work on it, which means I need space. In
order to get through I use a specific mental health App and perform a few simple tasks, like drinking water and brushing my teeth, that help me feel better. I also find it very relaxing to
put my feet in hot water and listen to some piano music. I repeat the tasks until I feel better.
I really think everybody should have their own plan, tailored for their needs. I had to try a
couple of times before getting it right, but eventually it became so useful that I am not afraid
of having a difficult situation anymore.
Projekt ROBIN 