“May the force be with you”: how to maintain balance in a crisis

At one point or another in our lives, we all have to go through a crisis. An incurable illness of a loved one, divorce, financial problems… The list is endless. And no matter who we are, how much we earn, and how unshakable our well-being seems, crises are inevitable.

But you can react to them and behave in a difficult situation in different ways. The ability to stay strong helps you get through tough times, says psychotherapist Amy Morin. She offers a strategy for staying mentally strong in times of crisis.

1. Accept reality

When something bad happens, it’s tempting to wallow in thinking that it shouldn’t have happened, or that what happened was unfair. But this is just a waste of resources.

Accept the situation. This does not mean that you agree with the development of events. But purposeful awareness of what is happening is necessary. Only then will you be capable of constructive solutions.

2. Don’t try to get stronger right now

Trying to get stronger in the midst of a crisis is like lifting a barbell right before you move the big box. This is not the time to worry about how to “pump” strength – you need to accumulate the opportunities that you already have.

3.Get support

Talk to friends or loved ones. Contact a professional. Do something along those lines—make requests, tell people what you need, and get the emotional support you need right now.

4. Take care of yourself

Experiencing a crisis, we sometimes cannot force ourselves to even eat and get enough sleep. But taking care of your body during this period is especially necessary. Force yourself to get outside, at least for a little while. Take care of a wholesome healthy diet. Even if time is sorely lacking, set aside pauses to rest the body and mind.

5. Imagine advising a friend in these circumstances.

A difficult situation may require difficult decisions. However, they can be almost impossible to accept, especially on a tight deadline when we are overwhelmed and overwhelmed by emotions. There is a feeling that we are between a rock and a hard place.

Choosing a medical procedure, finding a new home – whatever the decision is, try to look at the situation from the outside. Imagine giving advice to a close friend in the same position. This will help to at least partly step back from emotions and will provide an opportunity to see which option looks the most reasonable.

6. Come up with a mantra

Compose a phrase for yourself, for example: “What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger” or “We did it before – we can do it now!” – and repeat it as many times as you need. Let it push out the negative thoughts that are constantly spinning in your head and become a reminder of your path to overcome the crisis.

7. Prioritize

In times of crisis, a situation is inevitable when you have to give up some interests, deeds or needs in order to focus on the main thing. Make a to-do list and decide which ones are top priority. Write more and create reminders, as memory can fail under severe stress.

8. Make time for emotions

Constantly suppressing your emotions is harmful to the psyche and health, so you need to find the time and situations when you live them. It also contributes to maintaining productivity during a crisis period.

Of course, crying in the doctor’s office can prevent you from asking the right questions. And if you let fear take over completely, it will prevent you from taking decisive action. There are situations and periods when you need to move forward quickly, leaving almost no time for reflection and experiences. For the peak of the crisis, this is normal.

But do not forget to give yourself time to let go of emotions and live through unpleasant feelings after this. This is a painful but necessary part of healing emotional wounds.

9. Divide big tasks into small steps

In a crisis, we find ourselves overwhelmed with a huge amount of things to do. Break big tasks into small steps. You may have to sort out the things of a loved one who left you or thoroughly lose weight due to health problems. In any case, understand what you can start doing today.

10. Do something that brings back a sense of normalcy

In a crisis, it often seems to us that the world has turned upside down. Perhaps you sit in the hospital at the bedside of a loved one all day, or send out resumes and run interviews from dawn to dusk. This is unsettling. To stay strong and resilient, do at least something from your usual, pre-crisis routine. Something that brings back a sense of normalcy.

It can be a morning walk or watching your favorite series before bed. Even a drop of “normality” can help you get through when life has become completely abnormal.

Strengthen after the crisis

When the worst is behind you, take time to recover from the stress you’ve been through, says Amy Morin. For this, someone needs to spend a weekend on a hike, someone needs to resort to the help of a psychotherapist. But in order to move on, we all just need to replenish the lost energy and assimilate the experience gained.

About the Author: Amy Morin is a psychotherapist and bestselling author of 13 Things Mentally Strong People Do.