5 Tools to Help you Manage a Crisis
Everyone has a different definition for what they feel a “crisis” is. Depending on your age, circumstance, and priorities a crisis can mean many things. We all undergo our own crises — but there are common tools we can use no matter what that crisis may be. The following are five tools to manage a crisis — for every age.
Use Your Assessment Skills
Any first responder will tell you that they are taught to “assess the situation” once they arrive on a scene. This tactic can apply to any crisis. Even the type of crises that don’t require first responders!
Our tendency at the start of any crisis is to panic. If we redirect that anxiety into assessing our situation, we can get a better idea of what we need to do to get out of it. This means taking a look around and taking stock of what’s really happening.
Seek Help
Once you’ve made a thorough assessment of your problems, you can seek help. Depending on the crisis you have on your hands, this could mean anything from asking your spouse to help with more housework to calling 9-1-1. Seeking help can also mean using resources such as mental health professionals or counselors.
Sometimes, we delay asking for help because we want to be independent or we don’t want to burden anyone. However, you’ll have a better outcome if you involve more helpers. Also, in the long run, asking for assistance from others builds trust and connections. We’re not in this world alone, and that’s a good thing.
Take Action
It’s natural, especially in a prolonged crisis, to feel so hopeless that you may not want to take action. However, it’s essential to overcome this emotion. Be proactive, not reactive. Respond to the crises in an objective manner and take small steps if you must. If you’ve assessed the situation correctly and have help, it will give you more confidence to take action.
Communicate with Others
Communicate with the people around you respectfully, honestly, and clearly. We may want to keep information to ourselves, but that only makes a crisis worse. Letting others know what’s going on and what they need to do encourages coordination and trust.
Maintain Your Mental Wellbeing
Any crisis can be traumatic. Sometimes, being witness to a traumatic event can leave us feeling scared and vulnerable. It’s vital to take care of your mental health, so that you can respond well to the crisis. Even after a crisis event is over, its effects on mental health can last for weeks, months, or years.
Our smartphones enable us to have mental healthcare at the tip of our fingertips. Phone apps geared towards self-care and counseling can help manage crises. Many therapists provide telehealth or video conferencing services, allowing you to seek therapy from the comfort of your own home.
Meditation and breathing tools like CalmiGo can also maintain your mental wellbeing. Using CalmiGo just three times a day can help manage your stress levels. CalmiGo also incorporates another calming tool, aromatherapy, through the use of its scented elements.
Crisis can happen to anyone, at any time. It’s best to be prepared and how to manage a crisis. Know your tools and resources and use them!
