It’s probably happened to all of us at some time or other.
We’ve all been made redundant, undergone such stress that we can’t go on, been
hit by sudden serious illness or been bullied. It could be one of many things.
What all these things have in common is their ability to
rock us back on our heels. We lose our forward momentum in life. Nothing else
seems important and we turn inward, asking why it’s happened and why it’s
happened to us.
It’s easy to feel sorry for ourselves at these points, to
feel hard done to and carry our misfortune like a badge of honour.
You probably already appreciate that by doing so you’re not
doing yourself any favours. Do you really want people to feel sorry for you or
do you want them to respect you for how you respond to your troubles?
If you do want to respond positively to your crisis, however
deep it may be, take a look at these seven ways you can stay mentally strong in
a crisis.
1. Change Your Perspective
Harsh as it may sound, it’s
unlikely that no one has ever been through what you are right now, no matter
how serious it is. Without trivializing what it is you’re experiencing, ask
yourself, “how many different ways could I see this event?” Could it be a time
of growth or personal development? Could it make you stronger? Will you learn
new skills which you could use later on in other circumstances? What meaning or
purpose could you find in what’s happening? Does it provide you with an
opportunity to be a role model for how you deal with the event? All these
things are possible and many people through the ages have chosen to see their
ordeal in this way.
2. You Have A Choice
So just as you can choose how you
see your experience, you can also choose your attitude and how much
responsibility you take for what’s happened and what is to happen next. You can
choose your actions and behaviour too.
Nowhere is there a rule which says
you have to respond in a certain way. No book has been written which tells you
which actions to take. At this moment, you may feel angry and you may feel let
down but only you will decide where to go from here.
It’s your choice.
3. Take Responsibility
When you have decided that you
will choose, make the first thing you say to yourself, “what can I do about it?”
You have probably needed some time
to process what’s happened to you. Maybe you have had to grieve for someone you
have lost or a previous life you sense has gone for ever. It’s okay. It’s
human.
However, if you want to take
control of what happens from now on, then ask yourself, “what can I do about
it?”
Don’t stop at the first thing you
think of. Challenge yourself to make a list of at least twenty things. Reflect
on these options and, soon after, you’ll begin to feel that you are taking back
a little bit of control of your life.
4.
Relentless
Positivity
From now on and in all things be
relentlessly positive. Look carefully at all that happens in your life to find
the good aspects. Whether it’s one thing or ten focus on them. You’ll spend
enough time thinking about the negatives as the world is often full of them.
Give yourself dedicated positive time to list the good things that have
happened to you in a day. Treat everything that happens as a lesson in life and
be glad you can still learn.
5. Develop The Gratitude Attitude
Besides being positive, be
grateful too. Something has happened for which you may not feel grateful. That’s
understandable. However, when you make a habit of gratitude for all the small
wonders of the world, little by little you may get to the point where you are
grateful too for the experience you are going through. It may have changed your
life. Eventually you may come to see that it changed it for the better.
6. Forgive
The anger you currently feel for the
experience which has overwhelmed you is an emotion which will ruin you but leaves
the cause or the perpetrator unmoved. Forgiveness to a person who has wronged
you or to life in general is hard. Hard, however, is not impossible. Let go of
your anger and resentment and experience the release of pain and tension which
is like no other. Then and only then will you really move forward in the way
you have chosen.
7. Take Action
When you do commit to act, make
sure of two things.
One, align your actions with your values. You like many
others may have re-assessed what’s important to you after the shock of your
adversity. If you have not, now would be a good time. Think about how you would
like to be remembered. Will your actions lead you in the direction which will
cause you to be remembered in the right way?
Two, base your actions on your
strengths. Your strengths are your bedrock in times of trouble. They can always
be relied on and will help you to be the most effective person you can be.
What do you think of the seven ways to stay mentally strong in a crisis? Comment below or on Facebook, Google+ or Twitter. And if you find them useful, perhaps someone else you know will too. Why not give them a share or retweet?
No comments:
Post a Comment