Just the word strikes fear in our hearts-crisis. A crisis arises when a situation occurs that overwhelms our normal coping skills and personal resources. By definition, then, there is never really a good time for a crisis. And, Murphy’s law usually proves true-anything that can go wrong will go wrong. When your resources are overwhelmed, everything else that comes along feels like a crisis, too.
It is inevitable. At some point or another, we will all experience a crisis and, odds are we will experience more than one in our lifetimes. So, how can you be prepared for your next catastrophe? Here are a few tips:
It’s all in how you look at it
Some stress is actually healthy. It motivates us. A looming deadline pushes you to get to work. A report of high cholesterol or high blood pressure should spur one to change his/her diet or exercise habits. Keeping your perspective in the middle of a crisis can help you keep your wits about you. A mantra that might help with this is, “How can I use this to make me stronger?”
Don’t catastrophize
This goes hand-in-hand with keeping perspective. Don’t make things worse than they really are. When we automatically jump to the worst case scenario, we often handicap ourselves. It causes us to lose sight of what might be realistic solutions. Simply because things start to go south does not mean it’s the end of the world. Let’s say you have to sit for an exam to get a license in your particular field. You stress about your test preparation and start to feed yourself lines like, “If I don’t pass the test, I’m not going to get the job I want. If I don’t get the job I want, I’m going to be miserable or I’ll have to file for unemployment. If I have to take unemployment, I will get sucked into a cycle of never being able to get a job and becoming dependent on the government. If I become dependent on the government…” See how the slope gets slippery quickly? Catastrophizing always makes everything much worse than it really is..
Act your way into feeling
When we’re in the middle of a crisis, we may want to crawl in a hole and hide. Or, we may want to come out swinging. Think about the type of effective response for which the situation calls. If the crisis calls for you to be assertive and take a stand, work through any fear you may have and do just that. If the crisis demands for you to stand down, even if you want to take more aggressive steps, walk through that process. Many of the decisions we make that are driven by emotions get us in more trouble in the long run. In crisis situation, we need to think first before we respond and sometimes, we have to behave in ways we may not really feel like behaving.
Take care of yourself
During times of crises, you may lose your appetite or you may eat inordinate amounts of food. You may feel like you’ll never get another decent night’s sleep or like you can’t keep your eyes open no matter how hard you try. When situations get touchy, you’ll need to make sure you are eating healthy, getting enough rest, and sleeping at least 8 hours each night. If you’re not physically on your game, the crisis will seem more and more overwhelming.
Avoid alcohol and drugs
Alcohol and drugs cloud your judgment anytime they are used. It will be even more important to avoid these things when you are going through an emergency.
Seek help when needed
We do not exist in a vacuum. When you are going through a tough time, you need to be able to lean on those around you whom you trust. Find someone in whom you can confide and let him/her know what is really going on. There are certain types of disasters that may require you to seek counseling from a professional counselor. It may take the form of marriage counseling, individual or group counseling, or grief counseling.
Lean into your faith
There are many verses in Scripture indicating the God is big enough to help us through whatever comes our way. “Cast all your anxiety on Him, for he cares for you” (I Peter 5:7), “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you; my power is made perfect in your weakness'”(II Corinthians 12:9), “Be anxious about nothing” (Philippians 4:6), “I will never leave you, nor forsake you” (Joshua 1:5). These promises are true and God’s presence, as well as simply the name of Jesus, can calm whatever calamity you may be facing.
On the roller coaster of life, we will all have our ups and downs and it will throw us a few loops. During times of calm, it is a good idea to think about how we will handle crises. Unfortunately, one may be just around the corner. But, with the right preparation and support, you’ll be able to make it through.