Being PROACTIVE In Stress Management

Reactionary vs PROACTIVE Approaches to Managing Stress

Liz Joyce

March 18, 2025

Life can be really hard, and today’s political climate (and fallout from) is a lot. And let’s be real—it’s not getting better anytime soon.

This means we have two choices: let stress run the show or take control of how we manage ourselves.

The difference between managing stress and taking control is huge, and understanding it can help us shift from feeling overwhelmed to actually handling life’s chaos with confidence.

Below you’ll find ways to proactively protect yourself, physically and mentally, from stress. As well, you’ll find reactionary tools to keep close. Stress will hit, and being able to quickly calm yourself is key.

The Key Difference: Managing Stress vs. Taking Control

Managing stress is reactive. It’s coping with pressure after it hits, like putting out fires all day. You’re constantly dealing with problems as they come up, trying to regain balance after being thrown off. This can look like:

  • stress eating
  • binge-watching TV to escape
  • scrambling to meet deadlines at the last minute

It’s survival mode, and while it can keep you afloat short-term, it’s exhausting and unsustainable in the long run.

Taking control is proactive. It’s about setting yourself up to stay ahead of stress before it spirals. This means identifying potential stressors and putting systems in place to manage them before they become overwhelming. Instead of reacting, you’re prepared:
  • setting boundaries
  • sticking to routines
  • prioritizing your mental and physical health
  • making intentional choices that support your well-being.

The truth is, when stress builds up, our brains get hijacked. Thinking clearly becomes impossible, decision-making gets harder, and suddenly everything feels overwhelming.

When stress is left unchecked, it triggers a cascade of mental and physical effects:

  • your heart rate spikes
  • cortisol floods your system
  • mind starts racing with worst-case scenarios.

Instead of focusing on solutions, you get stuck in a loop of worry and frustration. Let’s step out of this cycle of exhaustion and reaction.

 

The good news? You don’t have to live in fire-fighting mode. By shifting from reacting to preparing, you can reduce stress before it takes over—and that’s exactly what we’re diving into next.

Taking Control: Actionable Strategies

Move Your Body – The Fastest Reset

✅ Why it works: Physical movement shifts your brain out of stress mode almost instantly. Remember that EMOTIONS, are e-MOTIONS, and movement releases stressful feelings.

💡 We see this in our dogs! We are animals, y’all.

PROACTICE Action Steps:

  • Pre-schedule movement – Make daily physical activity non-negotiable.
  • DECOMPRESS – We give our stressed dogs this merciful outlet, do it for yourself too. Which might be as simple as being intentional about unplugging when you’re out on your dogs decompression walk.

REACTIONARY Action Steps:

  • Interrupt the spiral – When stress hits, MOVE. Do squats, push-ups, shake it out—anything to break the cycle.
  • Use quick resets – Even 60 seconds of jumping jacks or deep breaths can change your state.
Set Social Boundaries – Protect Your Mental Bandwidth

✅ Why it works: Too much noise (social media, news, draining people) keeps you in reaction mode and fuels stress.

PROACTICE Action Steps:

  • Spend time with YOUR PEOPLE – the ones that fill your soul with joy, that you can lean on. Fill your cup.
  • Time limits on social media & news – Set hard cut-offs to avoid doomscrolling.
  • Audit your social circle – Reduce exposure to people who drain you. Bye, Felicia.

REACTIONARY Action Steps:

  • Permission to ignore – Not everything needs your response or attention. In fact, most of it doesn’t.

Eat for Stress Resilience

✅ Why it works: Food directly impacts brain function and stress hormone regulation.

PROACTICE Action Steps:

  • Fuel your brain – Prioritize protein, healthy fats, and fiber to stabilize energy.
  • Plan meals ahead – left overs for lunch, meal prep for the week. Whatever you need to do to make this achievable, do it.
  • Cut the rollercoaster – Reduce sugar, caffeine, and alcohol spikes that mess with your mood.
  • Hydrate to think clearly – Dehydration amplifies stress, so stay on top of your water intake.

REACTIONARY Action Steps:

  • Quick-grab snacks – Grab a snack from your list of healthy, quick grab, go-to’s that make you feel GREAT after you eat them. Make the choice BEFORE you have to.
  • Eat a meal – are you extra stressed? OR Are you hungry?
  • Drink water – dehydration will cloud your brain on the best of days. Drink a full cup, or two, of water.

Key Takeaways & Next Steps

Key Take Aways

Stress is going to hit you. Being PROACTIVE will build confidence, and reduce the effects of stress. As well, having a toolkit of REACTIONARY action items is important.

If you’re unsure of what to do, what would you do for your dog?

Your Next Steps

Hit the low-lying fruit:

  • get enough, high quality, sleep
  • move everyday
  • intentionally decompress weekly
  • minimize stressful news (or social media)
  • drink 8 cups (or more) of water per day
  • eat 25 grams of protein and a source of good fats at each meal to reduce physical stress