5 Things You Can Do to Help Yourself in Times of Crisis

Don’t be in such a rush to figure everything out. Embrace the unknown and let your life surprise you. 

Unknown

It’s hard to overstate it.

We’re living in unprecedented times. 

And as we continue to live under the threat of a global pandemic, fear can hijack our minds and break our spirits.

Everyday tasks can become chores. Decisionmaking becomes virtually impossible. And our ability to learn and grow from this experience is hampered by the overwhelming drive to survive.

Not only that, but a raw sense of grief can also take over when we least expect it. We’re surprised by how much it hurts to lose things that may seem insignificant to others in the grand scheme of things.

We are now living in the age of uncertainty and we are all being forced to adapt to this new reality. It’s understandable that you may feel helpless, even hopeless. But you don’t have to lose hope.

You can approach this time with the intention of coming out better and stronger than you went in. You have what it takes to do it. All you need is a strategic plan. 

Here’s one to consider:

1. Reevaluate 

It’s tempting to take a conservative position when it feels like the very ground is shifting beneath your feet.

But this is actually the perfect time to reevaluate everything. As we’re all being forced to do things we never thought possible just a few weeks ago, our brains are primed to see possibilities outside our normal modes of thinking.

We just have to be willing to explore these possibilities. Here are a few questions to help you get started:

How have your priorities changed?

What does this time make possible?

How have your habits changed?

What things have you given up or thrown away?

What ways of thinking have been challenged?

Grab a journal and reflect on these questions (and others that may come up for you).

Here’s another exercise you can do with your journal. Divide a page into two columns. Write down the three biggest problems you had before the crisis on the left side. Then write down the ways you may be rethinking your problems now on the right.

This will help you unearth the opportunities lying right at your feet. Now that you’ve uncovered them, what should you do next?

2. Reinvent

If reevaluating is the art of re-imagining who you thought you were, reinvention is the art of bringing this new vision of yourself to life.

Reinvention can be scary and hard, but in times of extreme challenges, it can actually be easier to take the leap. That’s because the status quo becomes so untenable that the pain of not changing, evolving, and growing, eclipses the pain of trying something new.

Reinvention is such a sexy word that it’s tempting to imagine Silicon Valley types easily blazing new trails. The hard truth is that reinvention often happens after we’ve hit rock bottom with no place to go but up.

It happens when a young dad receives a wake-up call from his doctor that he might be dead in two years if he doesn’t change his lifestyle. 

It happens when a successful business owner is suddenly forced to lay off all her staff and file for unemployment.

And it happened to a man who found himself bedridden with a shattered leg after seeking fame and fortune as a military hero. With nothing to do but read religious books on Jesus and the saints. He himself would eventually become St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits.

Hard times force you to try things you never imagined and, in the process, transform yourself into a person you never thought possible. 

3. Relax

Yes, reinvention is hard work. It also requires a level of trust for it to take root.

In this context, relaxing is not a means of escape, it’s learning to lean into the discomfort of uncertainty, trusting that you have all the resources you need to get through it.

It’s kinda like those trust falls you did at summer camp, except the stakes feel much higher. But the principle is the same. After you’ve done all you can, fall into the arms of life, surrendering to its flow instead of fighting against it.

Relaxing allows you to just take the next right action without being fixated on the destination. It helps you get a good night’s rest even when you’re tempted to ruminate through the night.

It stops the thoughts and opinions of others from limiting your image of yourself and what you’re capable of.

It allows us to take our place as creatures in the world rather than masters of it. 

So allow yourself to breathe, shed your preoccupations and anxieties, and reconnect with your childlike nature.

4. Release

This step is all about dealing with grief and loss. Now you may be wondering why would grief be the fourth of a five-step strategy. Shouldn’t we get that out of the way first?

On a logical level, it makes sense but in reality, it’s just not how grief works. Many people who either try to rush grief along or push it away would testify to that.

Grief has its own timeline. And so we have to simply make space for it and accept it will come and go as it chooses.

As I mentioned earlier, so many of us are being caught off-guard by grief, not just because it comes unexpectedly, but the various forms it can take.

And during times of crisis like this, we can be hit with many types of grief all at once:

Loss of routine.

Loss of freedom.

Loss of people.

Loss of livelihoods.

Loss of certainty.

Loss of control.

The loss is not only painful but traumatic because the world has changed so much from the world we knew just a few weeks ago.

When we can allow ourselves to relax as described in the previous step, we can allow ourselves to release and grieve the loss we’re experiencing. You may find yourself crying, becoming angry, or tired and lethargic. 

Naming what you’re feeling is the pathway to releasing it.

5. Ritualize

If naming one’s grief initiates the path to releasing, creating a ritual allows for the completion of this process.

We tend to associate the word ritual with what happens at church on Sundays. We may even think of what happens there as meaningless, rote actions that are done for their own sake. 

But rituals of every kind can be so much more. True, they involve common elements and actions. But these basic symbols are transformed through the ritual into meaningful realities that are transcendent and healing.

Simple rituals for helping to release grief may include:

Writing a letter to yourself or a loved one.

Sending a daily encouraging text to family and friends.

Lighting candle in the morning.

Pausing to take a deep breath in the middle of the day.

Working in the garden.

Taking a walk with your spouse. 

Reading the Psalms before going to bed.

No ritual is too small. Because the real power is the unseen intention behind your symbolic actions.

Finding peace in the storm

It is not easy to resist the pull of our fears. 

But you don’t have to allow them to keep you from learning and growing even during these crazy times.

If you’re feeling unsure about what to do next, I hope these steps will help you find firm ground so you can keep moving forward.

And it all starts by believing that you have what it takes to weather the crisis and find peace in the storm.