Staying True To Ourselves In Time Of Crisis

It is hard to stay centered and cognizant when we are travelling through chaos.  It is easy to get affected by other people’s emotional and psychological behaviors.  We get observed and judged.  And if we lose our center we become part of the chaos.

My father is sick in the hospital.  He’s 86 years old, so it is hard to tell how this is going to turn out.  Emotions are running high for everyone involved including me. So to support others and myself, I have to fight to take care of my well-being and stay grounded.  I have to be able to access and rely on my truth in every decision I take.

In the past I have acted impulsively, emotional and without setting limits to what was asked of me but others and myself included.

As I have gone through quite a few crises in my life, I’ve developed a short list of things to keep in mind not to drown when intense emotions are flying about.  They are:

1. Breathe – sounds like an obvious thing to do, but when we are stressed we stop breathing which only adds  stress.
2. Exercise – our bodies hold a lot of energy which turns into stress if it doesn’t have a chance to move around and out of our bodies.  I know it is hard to carve time or frame of mind to exercise when things are difficult, but it is what we should do.
3. Do something soothing – Only you know what soothes you, but don’t forget it is really important to create a moment of pleasure when we are going through pain.  It reminds us there is still much life and excitement to be lived.
4. Give yourself time alone – We tend to huddle together in time of crises – which is a great thing.  But we still need to check in with ourselves to see how we are doing.  Don’t forget to walk away and give yourself a little alone time.
5. Share – With friends or family members how you are feeling.
6. Make your decisions based on your own morals – It’s easy to be swept up in crisis.  Be coherent with yourself.
7. Remember, whatever is going on or however you are feeling, it will change – Life doesn’t stay still.
8. Remember, life is about the voyage and not necessarily the destination – In life we must experience love, loss, laughter and pain.  Being able to look at life in the big pictures helps us overcome the present.

I hope my list helps.