If you're in a crisis

1. IT'S NORMAL

I understand how awful it sounds to claim that a crisis is good when you're in the midst of your own personal destruction, but let me at least say that it's normal for a person going through inner growth. In my opinion, it's far worse when this growth never happens throughout a lifetime.

I don't know a single person who fully lives with their own thoughts, not secondary meanings imposed by the surrounding world, and didn't go through a serious life shake-up before major changes. People aiming for significant transformations should accept it as a given – any tectonic shift can trigger an internal earthquake.

By removing the fear of being overwhelmed when you're already in the storm, you regain self-control and the ability to act, enabling you to use this inner turmoil to quickly form a new life pattern. A crisis, like fire, melts the iron of your beliefs and convictions, allowing something new to be created. However, it can be excruciating. You have to endure it. It's normal.

2. THINK! THINK!

Today, the internet, without hiding its motives, strives for maximum simplification and easier digestion of information (so you don't have to think!). Even books have followed the trend of providing guidance on any topic, from building a business to meditation, all covered under the self-improvement label.

"Think! Think!"

Why is that? Where did it come from? What was the beginning? What am I afraid of? Why specifically this? Did I adopt this motivation from some theory and now repeat it? What if I reject this outlook on life? What if I do the opposite? Where am I mistaken? What if everything is correct? What is my experience in this matter? Do I even have any?

Asking oneself uncomfortable questions is very, very difficult. It's not just that the answers are painfully revealing.

To think is to knock on all doors, sifting through tons of information while always subjecting it to critical thinking. To think is to accept the possibility of being wrong and take responsibility for it, without sharing blame with others. To think is to ask yourself more questions than others. A lot more. Tirelessly. And constantly analyze the answers.

During a personal crisis, you need to think. The situation exposes conflicts of interest within you – something demands attention. Some intentions conflict with your beliefs. Some convictions don't align with your chosen direction. There's a "system malfunction." You need to explore. Relying on specialists can help and sometimes is necessary.

Image Credit: storyset, Freepik

3. DO ALL YOU CAN

To overcome a crisis, you need energy. Energy has an interesting property: excessive or insufficient use leads to discomfort. Overtraining leads to a setback, loss of motivation, and fatigue. If you don't use the energy you have to its full extent, your mind becomes "sticky." You become slow, indecisive, and heavy. An energy stagnation forms an internal swamp that drags you down.

The golden rule "do all you can" is precisely about optimizing the use of your current resources, leading to a gradual increase in internal reserves. If you hold back and don't exert your full strength, you become lethargic and inert. But if you overexert, you weaken and start to burn out.

A personal crisis significantly depletes you. It drains your life force rapidly. Hence the common feeling of helplessness experienced by many in this state. Former, habitual actions become too much (what was normal yesterday becomes an "overdraft" felt as an unbearable burden today), and small efforts seem insignificant and ineffective.

People often don't even think about micro-actions. But if the crisis sapped your energy, don't try to do everything globally! You need to act with tiny steps, but consistently. The rhythm is more critical than the immediate result at this stage. Remember: the rhythm matters! Initiate an energetic flow even with the smallest efforts; this will allow you to clearly comprehend the situation and act more effectively under the most challenging circumstances.

4. ACCEPT WHAT YOU CAN'T CHANGE

In normal circumstances, you can exist without the ability to accept things, denying yourself half of the possibilities. But to emerge from a crisis renewed, you can't do without this skill.

Conscious changes always come as a combination of actions and acceptance. In formula form, it looks like this: today, accept what is, but tomorrow, create what you want.

The present moment has already happened. However bad, crooked, or awkward today may be – it is what it is. You cannot change it now. Only the next moment.
Being able to make peace with the present, even if you don't like it (this is critically important!), releases energy that was previously spent on resistance. You gain strength, ideas, and most importantly, the desire to act further and change the picture – not in your today, but in your tomorrow.

After all, the future is malleable. You can pave the most unexpected paths. There are many options available, and you can go anywhere. But for that, you need the energy that can only be drawn from the present moment – when it completely satisfies you (otherwise, energy is lost).

It might seem easier: be content now, and with the energy released from this state, change everything you want in the future.

However, in life, the opposite scenario often happens: we actively fight the present – complaining, pretending, and wailing about everything that ALREADY HAPPENED, while accepting the future like lambs heading for slaughter, managing to paint it all in the colors of fatalism.

Image Credit: pch.vector, Freepik

What happened has happened. Accept it, allow it to be! This instantly gives you strength for the next step. And purposeful movement will lead you to where you eventually want to be. But fighting reality, no matter how virtuously you do it, will drain all your energy and take you far away from the desired paths.