QUESTION?

What do I do in a crisis?

ANSWER

Wait!

“Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Life isn’t perfect, we are not perfect.  Expecting life to be perfect sets us up for disappointment and frustration.  Learning to accept the “what is” can pave the way to serenity.

Of course we don’t want to listen to this.  When something happens that we don’t like the natural reaction is to resist it, to rail against it, but all the resistance and railing and wailing isn’t going to change the facts.  The “what is” just is, it is what it is.

So what next?  Well once the initial panic is over we can start to calm down and work out a more considered response.  We may even come up with some rather elegant solutions.  We may surprise ourselves.  One thing’s for sure when we are in turmoil that is not the time to make decisions.  Better far to wait for the storm to pass.  I wrote “LESSONS IN ADVERSITY” to remind myself of that.

HOW ABOUT YOU?

• How do you cope with the initial panic?
• What do you do to play for time?
• What can you share that might be of help to other?

Please leave your comments.  I would love to hear from you.

Corinne

POEM FOR TODAY 

LESSONS IN ADVERSITY

From time to time life shocks us and we’re brought up face to face

With events we wish another could contend with in our place,

And no matter we resist them and are putting up a fuss,

Life has a special package and it’s labelled just for us.

Perhaps there are some lessons it has scheduled us to learn,

A little bit of hardship so some good times we can earn,

Or maybe we have some qualities ’til now not much displayed,

Which adversity enables us to for awhile parade.

And so, although not welcome, it may be calamity

That in the end will help us be the best that we can be,

For it’s often on reflection, as we look back down the road

We see the longer we got stronger then the lighter got the load.

© Corinne Shields, 2013

If you enjoyed “LESSONS IN ADVERSITY” please pass it on.  You can find more inspirational poetry in

“A String of Pearls, a Yearbook of Daily Inspiration to Soothe the Soul and Rekindle the Spirit”

And no retreat would be complete without something lovely to look at, so here’s the

PICTURE FOR TODAY

Red sky at night

And just before you go ……..

Take what you like and leave the rest!!!

Understanding what happens to us when we have a shock, face a crisis, or something unexpected happens can help us to cope better.  I find it reassuring to know that at such times the fact that I am feeling physically and mentally awful is a natural and to be expected reaction.  It is also reassuring to know that if I wait and take some remedial action then it will pass.

What is happening to the body is the kicking in of the “Fight and Flight Response” to either a real or a perceived threat.  It is this wonderful response which has kept our ancestors safe enough for long enough to replicate the species.  To a large extent it is why the human race is still here!

So next time we are feeling awful when something awful happens, let’s just wait.  Explore the feelings even, get to know them, and then wait for them to subside.  The body will return to normal if we give it time, and if it is struggling then we can learn techniques to help it.

Meditation, relaxation, Tai Chi, physical exercise, doing something pleasant to distract ourselves have all been proven to be beneficial.  For those unfortunate enough to be stuck in red alert then medical interventions are also possible.

If you are interested in reading more about one person’s record of their progress towards recovery then go visit David at HardAnxiety at  http://hardanxiety.blogspot.co.uk/fight_or_flight.html

The blog is informative and enlightening.  Anyone who suffers from anxiety will find succour there.

Thanks to HardAnxiety for providing the following image which is taken from an article from Discover Magazine that was published on their website at http://www.discover.com/mar_03/gthere.html?article=gthere.html?article=featfear.html

It is clear there is alot going on!!!

If you have read this far please do leave a comment, share an opinion or leave a favourite quote on the inspirational quotes page for others to enjoy.

May we all be peaceful and at ease.

Have a good day.

Corinne

Filed under: Health, Inspiration, Inspirational poetry, Life, Personal Development, Photos, Poetry, Stress, Thoughts Tagged: adversity, anxiety, decisions, fight and flight, panic