Why Long-Term Planning Helps Manage Stress
A Guide to How Long-Term Planning Can Help Manage the Onset Stress of Being in a Pandemic
With the pandemic & our first official lockdown in Massachusetts approaching its first birthday in a little over a month, to say people have been feeling the effects and long-term stressors of quarantining for quite some time would be an understatement. With as many uncertainties facing us as they are currently, many studies have shown a strong correlation to increased levels of anxiety & depression for those of us having to work/go to school/socialize from home. Nowadays, “when social distancing ends…” is starting to sound a lot like our generation’s version of “when pigs fly”.
Still, we must wonder, surely there are ways of managing this unexpected and anticipatory stress and future anxiety, Many people turned to discover new hobbies such as baking, creating art & learning new subjects however studies have recently shown that the answer to easing our minds and helping us see a more clear future is in something that may seem a tad more mundane than baking sourdough loaves.
Why Long-Term Planning is Important
Researcher of North Carolina State University Dr. Shevaun D. Neupert claims that as a species, planning out for the future and attempting to make the uncertain certain often calms us down and for many is a strong coping mechanism.
“We’re the only species that spends this much brainpower planning ahead” states Neupert in her co-authored study. “As humans, we’re uniquely capable of thinking about the future”. She then builds on this point by stating how planning for the future and having a secure long-term plan in mind, can place us back into a positive mindset and keeps us there as it also helps us from being overwhelmed with external stressors. In her study, she tracked more than 200 participants over nine days, monitoring the way they navigated daily stress. Those who engaged in proactive coping – meaning their thinking was future-oriented, and the anticipated and made plans for how to handle potential hardships – were less reactive to stress. The study only lasted a little more than a week, but Neupert says the principles of her findings can apply to much lengthier periods of stress.
How to Get Started
“Start small & work your way up” explains Neupert. By focusing on creating small plans for how you want your day, 2 days, or even a weekend to look like, you can start figuring out what methods of planning work best for you and how you respond to structures (i.e.: are you more of an online calendar person or a sticky-notes person? Do you prefer having time-blocks pieced out throughout your day or tasks that you wish to accomplish on your own time?)
Whatever your system may be, starting a plan and gradually working your way up to planning long-term and figuring out goals long-term, you can better learn how to handle scenarios and situations as they arise. By acknowledging that hardships may come, you can learn to plan ahead for them and avoid the headaches that come without planning.
Final Thoughts
In a time where policies and social practices are changing almost daily, it is important to focus on that which we have control over. By focusing on securing our assets and interests for the long-term, we are able to retain the mental clarity and calm needed to get through this pandemic with our loved ones. A river cuts through rock not because of its power but rather its persistence & in a time where all we can hope to do is take it one step at a time, persistence is what helps us keep ourselves and our loved ones secure.
Unsure on how to start? Feel as if you want to plan out for something even more long-term and create contingency plans in the case of unforeseen emergencies? With Estate Planning being a proactive form of coping and allowing us to plan for the hardships that may lie ahead, it helps reduce future anxieties exponentially. By joining us and having a conversation on what matters for you and your loved ones the most and the long-term plans you want to have in place for them, we believe that you can earn that crucial ease of mind that will help us all navigate through these uncertain times.