…Learn What To Do In A Crisis

A crisis can present in many different forms, from the death of a loved one, to loss of a job, to collapse of a marriage, to financial disaster. When you are hit by a crisis, an emotional storm is likely to whip through your mind and body, tossing painful thoughts and feelings in all directions. Here’s what you can do to survive and thrive: S.T.O.P.


Slow your breathing

Breathe in through your nose for four seconds and out of your mouth for eight. Purse your lips like you were blowing out a candle. Repeat this a handful of times and you will begin to counter the effects of hyperventilation that comes with panic and anxiety. This will disengage your fight or flight response and help to anchor you in the present moment.


Take note

Take note of your experience in this moment. Notice what you are thinking. Notice what you are feeling. Notice what you are doing. Notice how your thoughts and feelings are swirling around, and can easily carry you away if you allow them.


Open up

Open up around your feelings – don’t try and run away from them, you’ll only end up failing! Breathe into them and make room for them. Open up to your thoughts too – take a step back and give them some room to move, without holding onto them or trying to push them away. See them for what they are and give them space, rather than fusing with them. If you fuse with the anxious thought, you become an anxious person. Your job is to observe these anxious thoughts in a curious and non-judgmental manner.


Pursue your values

Once you’ve done the above three steps, you will be in a mental state of mindfulness. The next step is to respond to the crisis by pursuing a valued course of action. Connect with your values: ask yourself, ‘What do I want to be about, in the face of this crisis? What do I want to stand for? How would I like to act, so that I can look back years from now and feel proud of my response?’


Things to Consider 

1.  Do you need, or would you benefit from help/assistance/support/advice? If so, what friends, neighbours, or relatives can you contact? What professionals         could you arrange to see? (If necessary, what helpline numbers could you call?)

2.  Have you experienced anything similar before? If so, how did you respond that was useful and helpful in the long term? Is there anything you learned from that experience that you can usefully apply now?

3.  Is there anything you can do to improve the situation in any way? Are there any TINY steps you could take immediately that could be helpful? What are the smallest, simplest, easiest, tiny steps you could take:

– In the next few minutes

– In the next few hours

– In the next few days

Note: the first step might simply be to spend a few minutes practicing some mindful breathing – or to take out a pen and paper and write an action plan.

4.  If there is nothing you can do to improve the situation, then are you willing to practice acceptance, using expansion and defusion skills, while engaging fully in the present moment? And given that the situation is unchangeable, how can you spend your time and energy constructively, rather than worrying or blaming or dwelling? Again, reconnect with your values: what do you want to be about in response to this situation? What are some tiny values-driven steps you can take?

5.  You don’t get to choose the deck of cards you are dealt in life; you only get to choose how you play with them. So a useful question to ask is: ‘Given this is the hand I’ve been dealt, what’s the best way to play with it? What personal strengths can I develop or strengthen as I go through this ordeal? How can I learn and grow from this experience?’ Note: any painful experience is an opportunity to develop your mindfulness skills.

6.  Be compassionate towards yourself. Ask yourself, ‘If someone I loved was going through this experience, feeling what I am feeling – if I wanted to be kind and caring towards them, how would I treat them? How would I behave towards them? What might I say or do?’ Then try treating yourself the same way.




© Russ Harris 2008            www.thehappinesstrap.com


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