Welcome
My name is Lynn Jimenez, and I will be your program guide. Over the next 21 days, you will be learning a lot and it may seem difficult to remember everything - so just take what you need for now and come back for the rest at a later time. As you become LESS STRESSED, it will help to review the program's content to continue learning and growing!
This program might stir some things up: if your emotions become bigger than you can handle on your own or past the surface of trauma, please seek professional help. After all, this program is GREAT, but never a substitute for therapy.
To the best of your ability, try to do each of these daily:
Daily Check-In (this will be explained on Day 2) and Mood Log (see attached)
20-30 minutes of SELF-CARE. You can break this up into smaller intervals (i.e. 5 minutes, 6 times per day). For some of you, “self-care” is too vague (if this is the case for you, see Lynn’s favorite practices attached for more detail). But really, this challenge is all about finding the practices that work for you. If I tell you what to do and how to do it, and you don’t like what I am suggesting, it can actually INCREASE YOUR STRESS. So try to have fun and use this as an opportunity to try some new things.
**If either of these daily items seem like too much, you can lower the amounts or eliminate a practice. They are not meant to increase your stress. The mood log will help you see fluctuations in stress levels over time and help you evaluate progress. The only way to actually LOWER your stress is through ACTION.
THE ONLY WRONG WAY TO DO THIS PROGRAM IS TO NOT DO ANYTHING.
Some people are going to do every task every day (daily practices included), and some people will do less - and that’s okay. Your job is to try things out and see what works for you. Everyone is going to be different. It would be better to slowly add in stress-reducing activities over the next 21 days that you can maintain in the future than to rush through everything and be too tired to keep the habits going after the challenge ends.
We have provided you with what you need for this program, including videos and worksheets to help you reduce your stress.