What is a "mental wealth plan"?

What is a mental wealth plan?

A mental wealth plan is nothing more than a written mind map of what to do when you feel overwhelmed in college. It is a road map to lessen anxiety and empower your efforts and capabilities. Together with your professional stress management coach, you design effective anxiety-reducing exercises and strategies to implement into you daily life, and concrete steps to follow when you feel the anxiety rising in your mind and body.

A simple but powerful concept, the mental wealth plan is a tool that when used every day to nurture your mental health, and to balance your mind, feelings, and body, provides a protection from and the prevention of high stress - the kind of stress where your body breaks down (illness), your wellness habits get neglected (sleep, body movement, and nutrition), and your confidence and strength feel weak.

So, how do you design the mental wealth plan?

The purpose of designing a mental wealth plan is twofold:
(1) to prioritize your mental health through intentionally thinking about (your) most effective strategies (ways, exercises, tools) to use to lessen stress and anxiety.

(2) to map these thoughts out on paper so your eye/brain sees what actionable steps you need to take and when.

If you have ever written down goals or made stick notes for something that you really wanted to accomplish or felt passionate about, those visual reminders guided you to your end desirable result. They served as your road map. Your brain was reminded consistently of what to do, how to do it, and when to act. 
A mental wealth road map works in the same fashion.

You become self-aware as you assess what your optimal mental wealth looks and feels like, as you process ideas and design your mental wealth plan. If you feel like more focus needs to be on your self-care when you get overwhelmed, this aspect will be a “point of interest” on your map. If you are concerned about academic overwhelm (not being able to balance and keep up with assignments, projects, and due dates), this aspect is laid out in your plan. And, if you just want a toolbox of personal things you can do to lift your spirits (mantras, physical exercises, schedules), this, too, is included in your plan.

Mental health is as important to your college success as are your grades, your social connections, and your personal growth. In fact, if your mental health wavers through stress and anxiety without proper management, these other aspects of college life suffer. 

So, think of a mental health plan as insurance for your college experience. 
Think of a mental health plan as your never-ending source of support.
Think of your mental health plan as your compass through the forest of college stress.

"The mind and body are strongly connected. When one is having challenged or compromised, the other is likely to be suffering as well."

"A bad day is not a bad week, or a bad year, or a bad life. A bad day is a normal day with obstacles tripping you up. That is all. Jump the hurdles. If you clip your foot and break your ankle, it might be a bad(der) day, but you will adjust. Ice it. Elevate it. Take pain meds if prescribed. Tomorrow will be a new day.