Calm in Chaos

At times the “storms” of my life have blown in so fast I barely had enough time to respond before starting damage control.

When time is excessively short and life catches you off guard, most of us REACT to what’s happening around us. Reactions are not thought out and are typically emotional shock reactions. They can create hurt feelings or cause you to take actions that would not have been taken if more thought was given to them. A “reaction” happens when you are NOT prepared for the unexpected.

What I’ve learned, through experience, is that “reactions” can create as many problems as the unexpected situation.

“What I know is what I do.”

When I don’t have a pre-determined plan, I react without direction. Without a direction, I can end up anywhere! What works for me is my “emergency response” plan of action for unexpected situations. I’ve pre-decided how I’m going to respond emotionally and what my physical 1st steps will be when my calm is invaded by chaos like:

major home repair in the slow pay period
Layoff just before Christmas
Medical bill the insurance rejected for coverage

I created my “emergency response plan” after a series of “storms” swept through my life one after the other and left me emotionally “nuked” and my life a disaster area. If it were not for my faith, I really don’t know that I would be able to write this today.

Sitting in the post apocalyptic remains of my life, I vowed NEVER AGAIN will I be caught unprepared. But I knew that I would have never known what to expect from a future emergency so I had to create a plan of action around how I would RESPOND. How could I have answers to problems that I don’t know are coming? I can’t but I CAN decide how I going to work through finding the answers. I’ve got to find the answers anyway, I might as well do it so that I have the lowest emotional impact and the greatest possible influence on the situation. I created MY “emergency response” plan designed to help me “wrap my brain around” an unexpected negative occurance without an emotional explosion of fear, paralizing shock and doom thinking. Instead, I can create a PAUSE for my emotions and allow myself a chance to catch my breath. Then, direct my thoughts to ASSESS mode instead of dread mode. I worked on MY plan for months. I applied it and refined it until I had it working so that I have control of my emotions and can think clearly, quickly to take actions that will help not harm me in the midst of the chaos of my unexpected situation. To this day, I review my “emergency response” plan weekly… it’s just a quick run thru in my head…that has created a response HABIT that I know is there BEFORE I need it. Then I can use it quickly and avoid the “panic” reaction that happens because I don’t know what I’m going to do next.

If you’ve got unexpected storms and uncontrolled responses to them, I recommend you get an emergency response plan too! On my RESET podcast I share tips to help you maintain calm so you can RESPOND not react to the unexpected and RESET your life to a “new normal” after the unexpected storms of life have ravaged you!

I wish you blue skies and sunshine but if you see storm clouds in the distance, KNOW you CAN remain calm and will not only survive, YOU WILL THRIVE!

All my Best!