Swiss Cheese Model of Self Care

I found this diagram through Dr Miranda’s Instagram “the.worry.people”  – the idea being that stress is a constant and pervasive entity that can impact us in both small and big ways, from being caught in traffic to having a bad day at work. How we manage our stress effectively is different for each of us, but this model helps to explain that it is a layered approach. Like with many things, you may need various safeguards to protect yourself against harmful forces. Larger stresses like trauma, abuse, or loss may need more intensive interventions, but for everyday stresses, this can be a way to view self-care.

For example, in order to protect yourself from sunburns, you will need to apply (multiple) layers of SPF, plus a hat, sunglasses, a coverup and possibly a shady or indoor place to get out of the sun all together. The same applies to protecting yourself against stress. Rest, hydration, nourishment, friendships and exercise are some of the basic defenders against everyday stresses – and if stress is still filtering through your defences, you may have to layer on some extra immunity like time in nature, meditation, journaling or talking to someone. 

So for now, take an inventory of your stress buffers. How well are you sleeping? Are there some ways to improve your sleep? How about hydration and nourishment? Are there a few areas that you can tweak to increase the quality of your food and water intake? How much exercise are you getting? Is there a way to boost your activity level? And if all of the basics seem to be in place and you are still feeling the effects of stress, take a look at other areas that might help create a filter between you and stress. Here is a list of “buffer builders” – see if there’s anything that you might like to try and just experiment with one or two to see if you notice a shift….

• Listening to music
• Going to a lake, ocean, river 
• Walking though a forest
• Starting a gratitude journal
• Reading an uplifting book
• Listening to a podcast
• Talking to a friend
• Joining a yoga class
• Meditating
• Playing with animals
• Booking a counselling appointment

I hope this gives you some ideas for decreasing your every day stress levels.

Feel free to email me with any questions, corrections or comments 🙂

Yours in health,

Kirsten