6 Ways to Cope with Crisis

Every day we come across situations that are beyond our control and often lead to stress, anxiety, and what not! Even the current lockdown is beyond our control and we can’t do much about it. How do you deal with such situations? How do you deal with a crisis? How do you deal with the anxiety, uncertainty, and stress that results from these situations? The answer to these questions is COPING MECHANISMS.




Life events, whether positive or negative, result in distress and anxiety. Coping Mechanisms are strategies and techniques which people use to resolve to difficult a situation, deal with difficult emotions and stressors. People use a variety of coping mechanisms to face loneliness, grief, loss, sudden life changes, anxiety, etc.


There are two types of coping mechanisms.


Emotion-focused coping mechanism

There is more emphasis on dealing with the emotions and feelings which result from the situation and not the situation itself. Emotion-focused coping mechanisms often come into play when the situation is beyond our control, like the current lockdown. In such a situation, it is more practical to deal with emotions.


Problem-focused coping mechanism 

Their focus is on the problem, attempting to tackle the cause of the distress. For example, you are in an unhealthy relationship which is leading to distress and anxiety. A problem-focused approach will emphasize on ending the relationship.

The current situation, that is, the COVID-19 Pandemic and the restrictions due to it are not in our control. We can’t change the situation but we can change our reaction to the situation. The problem here cannot be resolved, hence using problem-focused coping mechanism is out of the question. Instead, we can focus our energy on our thoughts, feelings, and actions.


We are going to focus on some commonly used emotion-focused coping mechanisms.


Set A Routine

Having a daily routine provides us a structure and makes us more disciplined about our lives. When we have routine, we know how our day will look like. Following a routine during crisis becomes even more important. 


You are less likely to experience anxiety and stress if you follow a schedule. In a situation like the current lockdown, there is uncertainty and stress. If we follow a routine, we will be able to spend our time more judiciously and productively 


Read about productivity in lockdown: https://www.thecyanproject.org/2020/04/trying-to-be-productive-in-lock-down.html


Challenging Thoughts

We often find ourselves stuck in the vicious circle of negative thoughts, overthinking, and catastrophizing situations. What do we do? We usually end up feeling bad about ourselves, our day, our life, and so on. This makes our situation worse and doesn’t help us deal with the crisis at hand.


Challenging thoughts is one of the most common coping mechanism. Answer the following questions to assess your thoughts.


  • Is there any substantial evidence for my thought?
  • Is there any evidence contrary to my thought?
  • Am I interpreting the situation without evidence?
  • What would a friend think about this situation?
  • If I look at the situation, how will it look different?
  • Will this matter a year from now? How about 5 years down the line?


Answering these questions will give you some sense of clarity about yourself and your reaction to the situation. Try this out! Trust me this exercise helps.


Positive Self Talk

Often during a crisis, we feel hopeless, depressed, and anxious. One way to deal with the negative emotions and feel more positive, optimistic, and hopeful is by engaging in positive self-talk. Do this exercise.


“Write down some of the negative messages inside your mind that undermine your ability to overcome the crisis. Be specific. Now, take a moment to intentionally counteract those negative messages with positive truths in your life. Don’t give up if you don’t find them quickly. For every negative message there is a positive truth that will override the weight of despair. These truths always exist; keep looking until you find them.”


Positive self-talk helps you recognize the truth in the situation and yourself.


Talk it out

There are many ways of dealing with the situation, talking is one of them! Talking about the crisis with someone you trust helps you feel better. Letting people know what you are going through helps you lighten up the load. Talking results in cathartic release and you feel relieved. Talking also helps you get some social support.


Identify Things That Make You Happy

Dancing makes me happy! It helps me release all the stress I face in a situation. What I do in a stressful situation is that I consciously make myself do things that make me happy. It diverts my mind from the situation. Also, dancing or any form of exercise or hobby releases “happy hormones” in your body and lifts your mood.


Identify things that make you happy and force yourself to do it during a stressful situation, even if it means that you do it for 5 minutes!


Practicing Mindfulness

Mindfulness is being aware of your feelings, thoughts, sensations, and environment. It is the process of focusing on the here and now. The practice of Mindfulness has its roots in Buddhism. You are being mindful when you listen to the song you love and notice every detail in the song! 


You are practicing mindfulness when you are having a meal and can relish it! You are being mindful when you are aware of your feelings and emotions and accept them the way they are!


There are several ways of practicing mindfulness. You can sit down, close your eyes, and focus on your breathing or you can take a print out of a mandala and color it. You can read more about mindfulness here: https://www.thecyanproject.org/2020/04/trying-to-stay-calm-in-times-like-these.html


Life is a rollercoaster, full of ups and downs. Some days are good, while others are not so good. But we have to be resilient and deal with the situation at hand effectively. Building healthy coping mechanisms will help you resolve crisis more effectively. They will help you get a sense of direction and hope. Healthy coping mechanisms will help you afloat! Practicing affirmations, engaging in positive self-talk, and challenging your thoughts are some of the ways to deal with counter-productive negative thoughts.

 

At the epicentre of a storm, it is always calm. Find that centre, your centre. That’s where you will find strength. - AVIS Viswanathan


Let us know if you find these techniques useful!

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