My Yellow-Light Plan

Most hard days don't go from fine to crisis in one step. There's usually a yellow zone in between — a stretch where you're stretched thin but still able to act. This plan helps you notice yellow early and know what helps, so it has less chance of becoming red.

Where am I right now?

A quick read on today

Rate from 0 (Green / steady) to 10 (Red / crisis): ____

Green — when I'm okay

What does a steady day look and feel like for you? Naming it makes the dip easier to spot.

When I'm in the green, I notice…

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Small things that keep me here (sleep, food, movement, downtime, connection)

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Yellow — my early warning signs

These are your personal signals that you're heading toward overload — in your body, thoughts, mood, or behavior.

In my body / sensory (e.g. jaw tight, sounds louder, exhausted)

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In my thoughts / mood (e.g. everything feels like too much, snappy, foggy)

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In what I do (e.g. cancel plans, scroll for hours, stop eating)

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What helps me at yellow

The point of catching yellow is to act while acting is still possible. List things that genuinely help you — not what you think should help.

Ideas to consider

• A sensory reset (quiet, dark, headphones, weighted blanket)
• Lowering demands — canceling or shrinking something
• Movement or being outside
• Reaching one safe person
• A 'good enough' version of food/sleep

My yellow-zone go-tos

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Things that make it worse for me, that I'll try to step back from

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My people

Who can you reach when yellow is tipping toward red? You don't have to explain everything — a short text counts.

Who I can reach

Someone I trust

• Who: ____________________
• How I'll reach them: ____________________

Another option

• Who: ____________________
• How I'll reach them: ____________________

My therapist / provider

• Who: ____________________
• How I'll reach them: ____________________

If you reach red: If you ever feel unsafe or in crisis, that's bigger than a worksheet — please reach out to a person you trust or the crisis line shown at the bottom of this page. You deserve support, not just a plan.

Keep it close

Where will I keep this so I can actually find it on a yellow day?

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Bring it to therapy: This works best as a living plan. Share it with your therapist and update it as you learn what helps.

Go deeper

Ready for more? These lessons pick up where this worksheet leaves off.

• Building Your Personal Regulation Toolkit, from The Neurodivergent Brain. The capstone: build a personal regulation plan around your wiring — name your state, match tools to it, catch overload early, design your space.
• Meltdowns and Shutdowns, from The Neurodivergent Brain. The difference between meltdowns and shutdowns, what's happening in the nervous system, and what helps in the moment and after.
• The Neurodivergent Nervous System, from The Neurodivergent Brain. Interoception, the autonomic ladder, and your window of tolerance — why neurodivergent systems react harder and recover slower.