| Has something stressful or upsetting happened | | | | |
| to you recently? Maybe it was a fender bender | | | | Here are a few examples of personal 911s I |
| car accident, or telling a friend she did | | | | and others have used: |
| something that hurt you, or being triggered | | | | |
| by something your spouse said, or stepping on | | | | * I choose peace. |
| stage to make a presentation. | | | | |
| | | | * I choose love. |
| Even when you are following what lights you | | | | |
| up and creating more of what you truly want | | | | * I choose serenity. |
| in life, not every moment of every day will | | | | |
| be filled with ease, joy, and pleasure. Each | | | | * I choose joy. |
| of us has moments, situations, and | | | | |
| experiences that stress and upset us. | | | | * I choose love over fear. |
| | | | |
| What can you do to help yourself during those | | | | * Everything is perfect. |
| times? How can you calm yourself until you | | | | |
| gain more perspective to effectively deal | | | | * All is well. |
| with the situation? | | | | |
| | | | * God, grant me the serenity to accept the |
| Use your personal 911! | | | | things I cannot change, the courage to |
| | | | change the things I can, and the wisdom to |
| What Is a Personal 911? | | | | know the difference. |
| | | | |
| 911 is the phone number we call in the U.S. | | | | While you're saying the words, you could also |
| when we have an emergency and need help fast. | | | | do a grounding technique such as pressing |
| We don't have to figure out what kind of help | | | | your feet firmly on the floor, rubbing your |
| is needed or which number to call; we already | | | | palms together, or deep breathing. Many |
| know if we have any kind of emergency, dial | | | | people also add a homeopathic aid such as |
| 911. The 911 dispatcher sends the police, | | | | Bach's Rescue Remedy. |
| fire department, or medical responders; the | | | | |
| right help is quickly on its way. 911 is an | | | | In Your Life |
| easy and effective emergency system. | | | | |
| | | | If you'd like to experiment with this the |
| What about when you have a more personal | | | | next time you're stressed or upset, here are |
| "emergency?" You can't call the community 911 | | | | some suggestions. |
| system just because you're stressed, jarred, | | | | |
| upset, anxious, angry, or afraid and want | | | | 1) Choose your 911 now. |
| some relief and help quickly. But you can | | | | |
| call on your own personal 911. | | | | You've probably heard people say "I can |
| | | | hardly think straight!" Science has now shown |
| Your personal 911 is a sentence, phrase or | | | | that, in fact, we can't think clearly under |
| word you say to yourself during trying times, | | | | certain conditions. When you are flooded with |
| something designed to ease and calm you. Your | | | | feelings and physiological stress responses |
| 911 is simple and easy so you can use it | | | | you'll have a very hard time figuring out how |
| anytime and anywhere. | | | | to help yourself. |
| | | | |
| You choose it in advance and use it as your | | | | Have your emergency response prepared so it's |
| first, immediate response when you are | | | | ready when you need it. Then, in the midst of |
| stressed and upset. No need to think about | | | | a stressful situation, you won't have to |
| it; as soon as you realize you need personal | | | | figure out what to do -- you just start |
| emergency help, you just start saying it. | | | | saying your 911! |
| | | | |
| Your personal 911 will provide some quick | | | | 2) Choose something that will work for you. |
| relief, reducing your stress and calming you. | | | | |
| Once you're calmer, you can then take | | | | There is not a universal personal 911 that |
| whatever additional actions are needed to | | | | will work best for everybody. Your most |
| help yourself and to deal with the situation. | | | | effective 911 will speak strongly to you: be |
| | | | powerful and meaningful enough for you that |
| Would One of These Work For You? | | | | it will calm you, shift your attention, and |
| | | | switch your perspective. It may be one of the |
| I just used a personal 911 myself. I was | | | | examples above or it may be something |
| meeting a friend for breakfast and I had | | | | completely different. |
| something to discuss that was difficult for | | | | |
| me. Anticipating the conversation stirred me | | | | 3) Use it! |
| up; I was agitated and anxious, my mind was | | | | |
| racing. | | | | When you're feeling stressed or upset, use |
| | | | your 911. Repeat it over and over, like a |
| To calm myself, I used one of my personal | | | | mantra. If you start with the little things, |
| 911s: "I choose peace." I kept saying this to | | | | the stuff that's mildly upsetting, you can |
| myself over and over and over again. I was | | | | build your ability to use this in tougher |
| able to shift some of my attention from the | | | | situations as well. |
| thoughts that were upsetting me to more | | | | |
| soothing thoughts. | | | | Your personal 911 is a simple tool to add to |
| | | | your life toolkit. You can quickly and easily |
| Did it make my problem disappear? No, but I | | | | call on it when you're in situations that |
| was able to become much calmer than I had | | | | challenge you. Using your personal 911 will |
| been. This felt better plus it allowed me to | | | | reduce your stress, calm you, and allow you |
| have a more effective conversation with my | | | | to more effectively respond to the situation. |
| friend than I would have had if I'd been | | | | |
| completely agitated. | | | | Enjoy! |