Here’s a Red Zone Rescue Plan designed for ALPIMS (Anxiety, Laxity, Pain, Immune, Mood, Sensory) — to help you stabilize and protect your baseline when you’re in a crash, flare, shutdown, or sensory overload.
This plan is about safety, simplicity, and soothing the nervous system while minimizing further stress.
🔴 RED ZONE RESCUE PLAN
“Protect, Don’t Push. Comfort, Don’t Cope.”
🧠 1. Recognize the Red Zone
Red Zone signs may include:
- Sudden fatigue, collapse, or “shutdown”
- Intense pain, migraine, or MCAS flare
- Sensory overwhelm, panic, or emotional flooding
- Gastro, bladder, or immune symptoms exploding
- Dissociation, crying spells, or rage episodes
✳️ Mantra: “I am in a flare. My only job is safety and recovery.”
🧰 2. Rescue Protocol (Do First)
| Action | Why It Helps |
|---|---|
| 🛑 Stop all demands | Prevents escalation |
| 🤫 Silence and dim light | Reduces sensory input |
| 🧊 Cold or warm compress | Pain and nervous system reset |
| 💧 Hydrate with electrolytes | Supports blood pressure, calming |
| 🛏️ Lie down or legs-up | Supports blood flow, POTS/crash recovery |
| 🧘🏽♀️ Vagus reset: hum, sigh, breathe | Calms autonomic storm |
| 📵 Phone off / no media | Minimizes stimulation and comparison trap |
| 🐕🦺 Pet, blanket, grounding object | Signals safety and comfort |
🍲 3. Emergency Nourishment Plan
Red zone means digestion is fragile. Choose easy, safe foods:
| Type | Examples |
|---|---|
| 🔹 Starchy | White rice, rice cake, peeled potato |
| 🔹 Gentle protein | Boiled egg, white fish (if tolerated) |
| 🔹 Soothing drink | Rice milk, ginger tea, electrolyte mix |
| 🔹 Emergency snack | Applesauce, pear slices, plain crackers |
📝 Prep tip: Keep a “flare kit” with shelf-stable options near bed.
🧣 4. Sensory Cocoon Setup
Create a sensory-safe nest:
- 🛏️ Low light, blackout curtain
- 🔇 Earplugs or noise-canceling headphones
- 🧺 Soft clothes, weighted blanket
- 🌬️ Air purifier or open window
- 🧼 Scent-free zone (no perfumes, cleaners)
✅ Designate a Red Zone Rescue space in your home.
🛡️ 5. Emotional Safety & Reassurance
- 🧸 Use affirmations: “I’m allowed to pause. This will pass.”
- 🗣️ Avoid talking unless it’s calming or needed
- ❤️ Ask a safe person to:
- Just sit nearby
- Offer a cup of tea
- Handle incoming messages or calls
- Use a rescue script: “You don’t need to do anything right now.”
🧾 6. Keep a Red Zone Rescue Card
On paper or phone, list:
- 🛑 “What to Stop”: screens, bright lights, conversations
- ✅ “What to Do”: hydration, lie down, hum, cold compress
- 🧃 “What to Eat/Drink”: your 3 safest items
- 📞 “Who to Call”: support person, telehealth, crisis line
- 🧘 “How to Re-enter”: signs you’re safe to move toward yellow again
📤 7. Exiting the Red Zone (Gently)
Wait until:
- You can speak calmly
- Symptoms have softened
- You feel safe enough to sit upright
- You can eat a simple meal without worsening symptoms
🔁 Move slowly. Don’t jump straight into green tasks. First, stabilize in yellow.
🧰 Optional Add-Ons
- Emergency meds (e.g., antihistamines, migraine meds)
- TENS machine, hot water bottle, lidocaine
- Breathing apps (Breathe+, Insight Timer)
- Crisis calming video/audio (nature sounds, gentle voice