Instability in the economy does not mean at all that a black streak is coming in life. Moreover, it is in your power to turn everything to your advantage. How? Advises psychotherapist Elena Aksenova.
Someone cancels their vacation, another has increased the amount of the loan payment, and the third has been reduced in the service. A difficult era of change, to a greater or lesser extent, affects each of us. However, there are areas of life that are not subject to external changes: family, love, creativity. No amount of financial hardship prevents you from spending time with loved ones, meeting friends, pursuing your hobbies, reading books or (why not?) writing them. Narrative therapist Elena Aksenova recommends not focusing on the thought “how bad I feel right now.” Instead, you should look back at previous experiences of living through difficult situations and ask yourself how you coped then, what helped you and served as inspiration. Write down your answers. Perhaps these things will again become your lifeline.
- 5 ways to face the pessimism around you
A crisis, like that same medal, has two sides, and sometimes a careful look at the inside reveals its benefits to us. Elena Aksenova comments: “As long as external circumstances are not pressing, it can be difficult for us to decide on changes, even if we feel internally ready for them. The crisis shakes the habitual way of life, makes us once again ask ourselves the question: “Am I going where I need to go?” In this way, he pushes us towards changes that are long overdue. For example, in 2008, I and several of my fellow psychologists quit their full-time jobs, started private practice, and subsequently never regretted it.” It is important not to stop planning your life, not to give up your goals, arguing this with momentary events, because any crisis is not forever. “There are people for whom the crisis is a comfortable environment. It is in conditions of instability and uncertainty that their creative energy is released, new ideas and projects are born,” says Elena. Think: maybe you are one of them?