Crisis
Management
“I've
finally figured out that not every crisis can be managed. As much as
we want to keep ourselves safe, we can't protect ourselves from
everything. If we want to embrace life, we also have to embrace
chaos.”
Susan
Elizabeth Phillips (Breathing Room)
Crisis management. Entire
training programs are devoted to it. Whole agencies specialize in
it. All our First Responders are crisis managers. All our smoke
jumpers and National Guardsmen, all our FEMA and Red Cross
volunteers, our active military and ER staffers are trained to manage
crises. And, most of the time, they do it exceptionally well.
We're taught that
managing our personal crises is something everyone should do
gracefully, but it just doesn't happen that way. Some of us fall
apart in the face of a crisis. We simply go to ground and cease to
function. Some of us are programmed to take charge; we tend to become
all authoritarian and directive, often to our own detriment and that
of others. Some of us step up and do what is necessary in the moment,
and then fall apart afterward. Some of us have experienced all of the
above, depending on the nature of the crisis, and who's involved.
But not all crises can be
managed. Sometimes, we have to ride it out and see what happens. And,
sometimes, we create catastrophes where they don't exist. Some of us
see calamity in almost any kind of change; we respond as though
something disastrous is about to happen. Our sympathetic nervous
system kicks into high gear, as we imagine all the possible
implications and outcomes. We pump adrenaline and cortisol, exhaust ourselves with needless preparations, and with vigilance that
verges on paranoia. When our very best response would be to keep a
cool head, to watch and wait, we, instead, create chaos around us.
These are times for cool
heads. Measured responses. Deep breaths, positive thoughts and
actions, trust. Create a calm center within and around you in which
crisis has no edge. Be a source of peace.
In the Spirit,
Jane
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