There is a new challenge at every turn in the journey of life. Watching the news is an endless stream of negativity, feeding our anxiety and apprehension about the state of the world. Social media mimics more of the same. And it's difficult to imagine getting control of life, but you have very little control over external events.
These are factors that put you into constant crisis response. You feel overwhelmed, you struggle to get focus, you feel more sensitive, you grow terrified of making a mistake. It's difficult to operate under these conditions. It can be incredibly difficult to remain objective and focused in the face of crisis.
Mindset
Dealing with a crisis can leave you feeling out of control and helpless. It's easy to get sucked into the vortex and get caught up in focusing on the problems. We are often guilty of reinforcing this message by allowing our mindset to reinforce negative messages. For example, in the face of a health crisis. you might constantly think about how you're stuck at home. You can change your mindset and reframe that idea by instead saying I get to stay safe at home.
Support
If you can count on anyone to keep you focused and on track, it should be your support system. Don't be afraid to turn to your close friends, family members, and trusted co-workers. Talk to others about how you feel. It's an effective way to process your emotions and deal with feelings before they have a chance to overwhelm you and steal your focus.
What you shouldn't do is wait for others to reach out – don't be afraid to make the first move. If you feel as though you're struggling with a crisis, reach out. By doing so you're also signaling to your friends and family that they can do the same when they're dealing with a crisis. Support is reciprocal.
Control
When you feel stressed out and anxious in the face of a crisis it's because you feel as though everything is spinning out of control. The best way to handle this is to increase your sense of control by identifying the triggers that are causing this feeling. Now, you might think this is impossible as you're dealing with a crisis so everything is terrible. However, there are different issues within a crisis that will have a more negative influence on you. Know what makes you feel out of control and learn to mitigate that.
Self-Care
When you are dealing with a crisis it's really easy to be absorbed by stress and lose focus and objectivity. You have to take proactive steps to look after yourself. Think about all of the ways you can practice self-care and get control of the stress in your life. It may include eating a healthy diet, exercising often, meditating, or spending time with your social circle as often as possible.
Celebrate
With crisis comes a measure of gratitude. At least, it should if you pay enough attention. The worse things get, the more important it becomes to express gratitude. Look at all of the positives in your life and share good news as often as possible.
It might not seem like much, but celebration helps you fight stress, which helps you remain focused and objective even when you're dealing with a major crisis. If you can't think of anything to celebrate, then make it happen by involving yourself in your community or completing random acts of kindness.
You can't prevent crises from occurring, you can only change how you deal with and react to a crisis to maintain objectivity and focus no matter what is going on around you.
