When things go against us in life, it can be easy to see this as an insurmountable problem that cannot be overcome. Unfortunately, this is a reality that we all experience at one point or another. Whether it is a career setback, the loss of a loved one, or a large change in your circumstances, it can be easy to let a situational crisis overwhelm you. When faced with something like this, there are several ways we can manage and take action to see our way out of crisis mode.
Look at Your Thought Patterns
A key contributor to emotional distress is the way we think. This becomes even more relevant when we are faced with situations that are objectively negative, no matter how we look at them. Despite being faced with a genuine crisis, we still perceive the situation as even worse than the reality likely is. Whether this is emotional reasoning, catastrophizing or negative predictions, the way we think often greatly exacerbates what we are actually facing. In these times it can be helpful to record the thoughts that are causing us emotional distress, or look closer at the thoughts that pop into our head when we are having an emotional reaction. From there, we are better able to see the emotional response we have from particular thoughts and begin coming up with more adaptive and rational thoughts. If you would like more information on unhelpful thinking patters, I have discussed several in greater detail in the blogs section of breakfreepsychologyservices.com.au.
Take Care of Your Needs
It is also important to ensure that we are engaging in self-care and taking care of our typical needs when facing a situational crisis. This includes our everyday hygiene and health needs, exercising and remaining socially engaged. When we find ourselves facing a difficult situation, these everyday tasks can require a bit more effort and motivation than normal. While it may be difficult, ensuring we stay on top of these is incredibly important in avoiding mental health problems and gives us the greatest chance at overcoming the current crisis. Some helpful tips for keeping on top of these tasks include creating a schedule and developing a subsequent routine, while ensuring we have enough time for winding down and relaxation.
Create an Optimistic Outlook of Life
Sometimes we can do all the right things but the situation we are faced with is still taking its toll on us. This is perfectly okay, and some situational crises are just far more impactful than others. At these times, it is important to understand that while this bad thing occurred, there are still plenty of good things coming our way in the future. Creating a long-term outlook on your life can help with this. This can be sitting down and writing out an ideal future, making dream boards or my personal choice, visualizing what we want in the future while completing mindfulness or meditation activities.
Seek Professional Advice
If you are struggling to follow these tips, or you still find yourself in distress, seeking professional advice is the next step. Here at Breakfree Psychology Services, we have a team of Psychologists’ ready to help you navigate your delicate situation using evidence based interventions and therapy. Contact us today to see how we can help!