Why Planning is Important

Developing a personal action plan helps us manage stress to live a long, healthy life. To develop your action plan for coping with stress, complete the following steps:

Write down two or three of your major stressors. (Sources of stress)

Determine a realistic goal for each stressor and write it down. (How do you want things to be?)

Identify activities or strategies that will help you complete each goal. (What do you need to do to reach this goal?)

Determine how much time you will need to reach each goal.

Think about who might help you reach each goal. (Who can you depend on to hold you accountable for reaching your goal?)

How will you celebrate when you reach each goal? (What can you do for yourself to celebrate this accomplishment?)

Adapted with permission from Kentucky Cooperative Extension

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