Stay positive

A crisis can rear its ugly head at any point in life, especially when you feel the least prepared for it. Panicking only makes the situation worse, while anxiety and stress can eventually result in a major nervous breakdown. This kind of reaction not only worsens the problem but affects your health as well.

The more you struggle to achieve your dreams, the more you are likely to emerge from a crisis. Read stories of successful people and you’ll be surprised by the level of crisis they face in their life and yet they managed to achieve their goals. Why? Because they were able to stay calm and resilient during the difficult phase of their lives.

However, not every person has the nerves of steel. Luckily, there are ways you can stay strong when the chips are down. Some of them are as follows:

1. Don’t React At Once

If the situation is not immediately threatening, take a deep breath and stop for a minute. Assess the situation, and gauge whether it really matters so much in the long run. Look at the bigger picture, instead of narrowing down your viewpoint to how the crisis affects you.

All this would serve to help you make less emotional decisions and hence better ones. For example, has an employee messed up an order? Instead of lashing out at them and possibly firing an otherwise efficient worker in the heat of the moment, you may want to take a few moments and see if the loss is really that great. More often than not, clients are understanding and can be appeased by a few additional benefits that cost your company next to nothing.

2. Look At The Bigger Picture

When something goes amiss, it’s always easy to think ‘Why me?’ Additionally, it’s also extremely easy to find someone to blame, especially if you have some subordinates working for you. However, negative thoughts are the worst ones you can have in a crisis, both in terms of practicality and your own health.

Positive thinking, no matter what, can reinforce proper handling of the situation. An upbeat attitude is not a weak one; rather, it is the strongest that can be adopted when faced with difficulties. Both your workforce and your customers would appreciate a professional and positive response to an ugly set of circumstances.

Has your social media been hacked by a vicious troll? Instead of blaming employees for allowing this to happen (which may or may not have been in their control), the situation might be salvaged quickly. Who knows, maybe this little tidbit of news might prompt online news and gossip sites to write about your company! After all, there’s no such thing as bad publicity, right?

3. Take Out Some “ME” Time

Your body and mind have a right to your time and effort just as much as your family and workplace. Personal health, especially, is one of your most valuable assets. The healthier you are in your body, the better you would be able to mentally and physically deal with any and all problems that may arise.

Go for a walk every day, inhale the morning air, and be sure to make a good night’s sleep a priority. A balanced diet, with energy-boosting ingredients like dates and flax seeds thrown in, along with a healthy exercise regime, and you are guaranteed to wake up each day feeling like you can conquer the world!

Take care of yourself, and self-control, willpower, memory and emotional intelligence are sure to follow. All these would help greatly in keeping your head when things go awry.

4. Stay Away From Caffeine And Alcohol

It can be tempting to chug coffee or even an alcoholic drink when you’re stressed. These indulgences may give you a quick energy fix or calm you down but are extremely unhealthy habits. At some point, caffeine is going to make you crash, which would lead to irritability and low productivity. Alcohol has an addictive factor that can cause havoc with your mental health and affect your whole future.

Not to mention, these two habits are also extremely unhealthy if taken regularly and frequently, while they may seem beneficial at the time. So say no to energy drinks, coffee, tea, alcoholic drinks, and grab a bottle of chilled water instead. This will keep you hydrated and focused, not to mention healthier and happier in the long run!

5. Ask For Help

Even if it’s just to vent out your frustrations verbally, don’t be afraid to reach out to trusted friends or family in a tough situation. Sometimes, a third party view of your crisis can actually provide a lifesaving solution.

Even if no one can actually provide help, just the releasing of anxiety and stress would ground you a bit. Speaking the problem out loud can even make it seem smaller. When you take the stress away, many difficulties can actually seem much easier. In any case, reaching out to someone you love and trust would make you feel better and mentally relaxed.

6. Devise A Coping Mechanism

Have something to look forward to in case of any dire difficulties. Join an enjoyable exercise class, or take time out to go for a relaxing morning walk. When faced with problems, it can be easy to skip these therapeutic sessions, but this is the time when you are most in need of them.

Sticking to your soothing rituals can not only increase your power of endurance but will also keep you from falling into depression. When you have other things to focus on rather than a problematic workplace or social life, you will be less likely to feel that you’re going nowhere.

Final Thoughts…

As Victor Frankl, a famous psychiatrist said, “Man is not free from conditions”. However, we do have the freedom to take control of our conditions by preparing for any situation that may arise. We can make ourselves strong enough to face any situation.   Whether we choose to be overwhelmed by them or rise above them and be better because of the problems we face is our decision alone.

About the Author: Rayanne Dany is a budding content writer as well as a successful blogger. Her interests include time and stress management, on which she has held several webinars and podcasts. She can be reached through Google plus.

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