Michael Linn, LPC discusses how to best handle stress related problems (anger, anxiety, depression) during times of crisis. He unveils his “Playbook for Life”, which details a 9 step approach to improve your life circumstances.
Playbook for Life:
1. Physical Health and Wellness – Improve health in regards to sleep, eating habits, and physical activity. Focus on ways to improve health with my brain and body. Be conscious of what you are putting in your body. This includes foods, drinks, medications, and supplements.
2. Values, beliefs and passions – Adopt a healthy set of morals, values, and beliefs that help bring meaning, purpose to life, and take care of responsibilities. This can include healthy spiritual beliefs and understanding God’s will. Pursue passions in what you do in terms of your vocation, service to the community, your family, and individuals. Develop healthy hobbies and activities that bring value to life and help you realize your potential for good in this world.
3. Gratitude and Humility – Take time to meditate and pray to develop reflection. Be able to reflect on areas in life where you feel thankful for what opportunities exist in life. Appreciate your situation and circumstances rather than focus on what you are not receiving.
4. Connectedness with others – Develop healthy relationships and better overall intimacy with the people around you. Find people that you can be honest with and who will hold you accountable. Set strict boundaries with people who are not good for you. Seek mentors.
5. Manage stress and sufferings – Build positive coping skills for stress. Develop resiliency for problems. Learn to manage the sufferings in life in a healthy way. Understand the traumas and crisis moments and how they still affect you. Focus on areas of thankfulness and gratitude to heal the hurts. Trauma can create positive change, resilience, and grit.
6. Assertiveness – Honesty and integrity in how you live life. This involves job, relationships, parenting, spouse, friendships, with one’s self. Learn to better assert and develop confidence in how to speak with others and interpersonally. Be willing to look in the mirror and be self-critical when needed and also have compassion for self.
7. Delay gratification – Learn to be patient and progress towards goals incrementally. Things worth fighting for takes time to earn and accomplish. Trust the process and have confidence in the areas of strength you possess. The successful in life learn to share and sacrifice.
8. Time management – Time is a valuable resource that cannot be recouped. Focus on what is dominating your time and change what is needed. Limit the amount of time towards activities that have no significant value. Develop healthier margins to allow for productive time.
9. Stop self-denial and understand your tendencies – Get your own castle in order before you try to rule a kingdom. Be honest and humble about your problems. Admit when you have been wrong in the past. Know your past history and learn from others when they give you feedback. Don’t lie to yourself and others about anything, but especially what needs to be changed and improved in your life. Take yourself seriously and that you are a person that matters.
