Anyone who has ever been through a crisis will tell you it’s like emotional whack-a-mole. You get some relief after the initial shock of the crisis wears off, but you’re left feeling frustrated, confused, and exhausted all over again within a matter of days. It takes time to fully heal from any kind of stress or trauma. However, you don’t have that much time to patiently wait for your system to heal on its own. It will take longer if you’re not able to properly handle the stress healthily with proper support from others and your surroundings. When a crisis strikes, people tend to react in one of two ways: they either fall into denial or panic and make a litany of mistakes that only compound their problem even more. The following tips can help you navigate this tricky stage with as little further harm as possible.
Don’t ignore the signs.
When you’re in crisis, you’re going to feel like your entire life is coming to an end. You’re going to want to isolate yourself from anyone and everyone you know so they don’t get hurt by your pain. But, ignoring the signs that something might be wrong is a very dangerous thing to do. If you’re in any type of emotional pain, you’re going to manifest it in your actions with other people. For example, if you’re struggling with anxiety and you’re having trouble sleeping, you’re going to be irritable and short-tempered with those around you. You may even cry or yell at people when they ask you to do things that don’t require you to be angry at them. If you’re feeling like you’re losing control, you need to tell someone — your doctor, your therapist, a family member, your boss, etc.
Take a step back and look at the big picture.
The worst thing you can do when you’re struggling to cope with a crisis is to immediately take action. This will only cause you to crash and burn; you need to take a step back and gain a new perspective on what’s happening to you so you can make smart choices moving forward. This is especially important if you’re suffering from a mental illness. People with mental illnesses are often at a much higher risk for self-harm and suicide. If you’re dealing with any type of mental illness, it’s especially important to take a step back to look at the bigger picture. Ask yourself: What’s happening to me emotionally? What is my core issue? How can I find support? What are my next steps?
Talk to others — counsellors, therapists, and family members, especially.
If you haven’t already, try to reach out to someone you trust and talk about how you’re feeling. It might be best to do this with a family member or close friend who can listen without judging you and offer you a safe space to vent your frustrations. Ask yourself: Who do I trust enough to talk to? Who can help me out? What do I need? Another option is to seek out professional advice when you need it. There are many things you can do to help you cope with a crisis, but if you’re dealing with a mental illness, you need professional help to get you the best treatment right away. If you’re not sure whether or not you need professional help, ask yourself these questions: Do I feel like I’m losing control? Are my actions damaging my own or others’ lives? Am I harming myself?
Stay connected to the people you care about most.
If you’re not able to talk to someone you trust, try to stay connected with them in some way. You don’t need to be in constant contact with someone for this to work. You just need to make sure that you maintain some type of connection with the people you care about most. This could mean sending your loved ones a text message or calling them every few days. It could also mean keeping up with their social media feed and reading their comments on your posts. This type of connection could also mean maintaining your relationship with the people you’ve been seeing in your life for a while but don’t necessarily see every day. These are the people who are in your life no matter what. They’re the people who will be there for you no matter what.
Be prepared for future crises by having a healthy support system in place.
As you can see, the best way to successfully navigate through a crisis is to have healthy support systems in place beforehand. This includes having a therapist or counsellor you trust, having a family member or friend who can help you through a crisis, and maintaining some type of connection with the people you care about most. Making sure you’ve taken care of these types of things ahead of time can help you get through future crises with as little damage as possible. If you’re not able to find the appropriate support system for yourself, look for help from organizations like NAMI or the American Psychological Association (APA). These organizations can help you find support in your area that’s tailored towards people with mental illnesses.
Conclusion
As difficult as it is to go through a crisis, it can be even more difficult if you don’t know how to properly handle it. The best way to successfully navigate a crisis and get through it is to have healthy support systems in place beforehand. This includes having a therapist or counsellor you trust, having a family member or friend who can help you through a crisis, staying connected to the people you care about most, and making sure you’ve taken care of these types of things ahead of time.
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