Crisis Mismanagement

What proves our strength and resolve is not how we act when things are wonderful, but how we act when life keeps throwing us curveballs. Some of us curl up in the fetal position and wait for others to take care of things, and that’s fine when you’re a baby and you can’t do many things for yourself. You have to rely on your parents and other adults to do most things for you. But once you get older, it’s expected that you are going to be equipped to deal with those issues yourself. Sadly, too many of us don’t get what we need to be able to make this switch as we get older. That’s why you see so many, what do you call them, deadbeats, those people who are still waiting on the world to shift for them instead of making things happen.

Crisis situations have not been traditionally fun times in anyone’s life, but they do make us stronger if we learn to deal with them. I myself haven’t had some of the best times dealing with those issues, but I’m not about to regret it because making those mistakes also helped to make me stronger. Making those mistakes also helped me to figure out just why I make the decisions I make, or why I avoid making decisions altogether. Now, I’ve gotten to a point where I feel like I can handle just about anything that comes my way. I may not like having to deal with crisis, but at least I feel like I can get through it instead of curling up into myself like a baby.

First, I analyzed myself. Why did I have a tendency to avoid dealing with crisis situations? And I started small too. Such as, when a roach invaded my kitchen and I ran far away, letting him continue on his journey, and eventually populate not only my kitchen but also my basement with his offspring. I let him go not because I felt sorry for him, but because I was afraid of him. Yes, afraid of a little small roach, so I let him get away and create an even larger problem for my family in the future. I had to get over it. I had to be able to think ahead and realize I didn’t want to make more trouble for myself or for my family, so that the next time I see a roach, I can deal with him in a different manner.

Then it must translate into larger situations. Like, the time I got lost in Ireland while leading a tour group (I know, how does that even happen?), and I had to decide what to do for both myself, and for the group. My international cell phone was in my bag, which I had left on the bus, so there was no one I could call. The group was heading two villages over, and the villages were quite spread out, so I knew I would have trouble meeting them there.So, I sat down on a nearby bench, put my head in my hands and started freaking out. I’ll admit it, I was honestly thinking I would never be found, my group would have to soldier on without me, and I would be stuck in this little Irish village for the foreseeable future. But then I had to get a hold of myself. I spoke to several strangers, trying to find someone who spoke English and who would let me borrow their phone. Eventually I figured it out, reunited with my group, and we had an amazing last part of our trip. But I initially folded at that time of crisis. It seemed too big for me, so I freaked out. However, I’m proud of how I eventually got it together enough to figure out a plan.

Am I proud of how I deal with crisis situations? Yes, I am. I admit I’m human, so they’re not easy for me. I do sometimes still have problems that seem too big for me to handle, but that’s why I have a support system that I tap into. And I don’t feel bad for that either. My family and my friends are there for me, not just in times of ease, but also in times of distress, in times of crisis. So, I know I can always get through, and that I don’t always have to do it alone.

Sam