The unexpected moments in life can be both good and bad. Surprise news can bring a smile to your face, and it can cause intense, long term stress you don’t know what to do with. And while we hope that the former is all we’re ever going to hear, the latter creeps up on us from time to time.
And when it does, it’s best to have an action plan in place. This is a procedure you’ve put together for yourself, to ensure that if the worse comes to worst, you’re going to be able to face things head on. Every person is going to need an action plan like this sometime in their adult life, and the earlier you put one together, the better.
So let’s go through a few of the best things to include in an action plan like this. At the very least, knowing what you can do in case of an emergency will limit the amount of stress you’ll experience! But hopefully, it’ll see you through in case of health, finance, and emotional worries too.
Be Aware of the Most Likely Dangers
We all have risks to contend with in life, but depending on what we do and/or how we live, some risks are more likely than others. For example, if you’re an ‘adrenaline junkie’, who likes more extreme activities like skydiving or white water rafting in your spare time, then you’re more likely to navigate serious injury than a person whose hobbies don’t include these.
Even though there’s an elevated level of risk, these problems can still be wholly unexpected. After all, we don’t go into something we’ve done a hundred times before expecting to get hurt. We know what to do to stay safe, and how to react in an emergency, but trouble can still brew.
Because of that, it may be worth making a list of the most likely accidents or injuries you could sustain, specific to you and your lifestyle. If you know what’s more likely to ‘crop up’, you can plan for them, and what you’ll need to do to prepare for the aftereffects.
Save Up at Least Six Months’ Salary
If you have this amount of money saved in the bank, you’re going to have a support block behind you to keep you upright in your time of need. You won’t be reeling, wondering how you’re going to pay the bills, at the same time you need to focus on things like healing and recovery.
This kind of stress is only going to make you feel worse, and could keep you out of work for even longer than you really planned. What could have taken a month to get over will now take two months, and if that’s already knocked you for six, another month could easily end up on top.
So have six months’ salary ready to go, to keep the lights and heating on, and to keep food on the table. You can steadily save for this right now by putting away between 20% and 25% of your regular take home pay per week, and you should hit this number within the year.
Know Who to Reach Out to
Depending on what’s happened, there will be a wealth of people you can reach out to. Of course, it’d be best to get the most direct, actionable support possible, but you can always do your own research and find out who to talk to.
For example, for someone injured in a car accident, speaking to a specific car injury doctor could be more effective for you in the long term. You could also ask for a referral to one, or seek out specialist care outside of traditional medical support that may be offered to you at the same time.
You can also seek recommendations from any lawyers you’re working with after the accident; they should be able to signpost services for you as part of their package.
Make sure you’re working with your loved ones as well. It’s hard to go through an accident or emergency on your own, and trying to keep the burden of it away from your friends, family, and/or partner won’t be good for you.
Consider Insurance
If you’re unexpectedly needing to take time off work, or you were hit with redundancy out of nowhere, you could also consider taking out some insurance to cover you during this time. If you’re out of a regular income, having an income protection policy in place can make the time between one role and another a lot easier on you.
This is good for anyone who’s gotten ill, or anyone who needs to take up a caring role for someone else who is ill, but eligibility will vary from provider to provider. You can check for this by comparing policies using comparison websites, which will also allow you to input your needs and what you’re looking for.
Remember, you’ll have to pay in each month to get the payout when you need it, but it may be a worthy expense if you live the kind of life that means a low income period is more likely to happen. It’s all up to you though, but be sure to give this a look over and see if it would be suitable.
Keep Your Resume Polished
A polished resume is the kind of resume that’s always ready to be submitted and sent into a prospective employer. Not only will this make it easier to apply for jobs when you need to, but simply having a public resume on job finder websites could mean you get a lot more messages from offers from employers who are headhunting.
You should also be sure to prepare a resume for the various different types of jobs you’re interested in doing. This will ensure you have a copy that’s suitable for the role you’re going for, and you’ve got a template ready to go during the application process.
This will cut down the time it takes to get your name out there, alongside your skills and experience, and that cuts job-hunting stress in half.
Be Prepared for Therapy
You may have been to therapy before, you may dip in and out of it as and when you need it. These are both normal things to experience and most people approach therapy with a feeling of knowing what to expect. But there may come a day when you genuinely need a consistent, stable, and ongoing therapy program to get you through.
Whether this is because you’ve lost someone, or something has happened to your health, or you’re working through an otherwise traumatic experience, therapy can do wonders for your mental state. And looking after your mental state is just as important as staying on top of your physical health.
Facing the Future in the Here and Now
Being proactive can be a lifesaver. If you don’t have an emergency action plan in the back of your mind, it’s best to put one together as soon as you’re able to. You’re likely to need to start saving up, and ensuring you’ve got a diverse skill set, but mostly, just being aware of how things can go wrong will really help.
Get prepared, stay prepared, and don’t let an uncertain, unexpected moment get you down. You’re never going to be in a position where you can’t take back some control, or reach out to those who can truly help you out.
