Even during a crisis, we can feel calm
Every day brings its joys and challenges. In order to serve Hashem b’simchah, we need to know how to manage the challenges so they don’t end up taking center stage in our minds, hearts, and bodies. We can’t focus all our energy and attention on our problems and hope to live a healthy and happy life.
The skills we need for daily stress management will enhance our quality of life and service of Hashem. But when an actual crisis hits — death, injury, illness, divorce, the loss of a job — these stress-management protocols can literally save our lives and minds. Knowledge and use of daily stress-management skills offers excellent preparation for those rarer occasions when crisis management is necessary.
“We were packing the car for our family vacation when my husband fell to the ground. He’d suffered a profound stroke. I was in a state of shock in those early days, my life suddenly uprooted — everything in chaos. As the days of hospitalization rolled into weeks and months, my life continued to disintegrate. My husband was the one who had taken care of all the finances; the bills piling up were a mystery to me. Where were the accounts, the passwords, the credit cards? I couldn’t eat; in the middle of the night I’d wake up with my heart pounding and my hands sweating. In the daytime my mind was racing, I was short-tempered with the kids, I couldn’t think a straight thought. I was a complete wreck.”
Intense stress wreaks havoc on the nervous system, affecting mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual functioning. Everyone — even those whose jobs involve crisis management — feels the hit when the crisis is a personal one. Let’s look at some strategies we can use to address the impact of a crisis.
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