How Do You Deal With A Crisis?

Life throws us many curve balls. Whether it is the death of a loved one, a crisis caused by mother nature, sickness, financial difficulties, or something else, it can leave you in a state of shock. That shock makes your life stop and forces you into spending time doing some major self reflection and redirection. 

This summer my condo was flooded out by the tenant above me. Their washing machine broke and water came flooding through my condo like a major river. Thank God I was home, but there was little I could do. When it was all said and done, my condo suffered $44,000 of damage. I had bought my condo 3 years earlier and did some major remodeling. Much of that was ruined. Needless to say what do you do when you have suffered a crisis and are so overwhelmed you can barely breath?

Breath and Begin to Get Help:

After the police and firemen left, I looked at the destruction. The water had soaked through many of the walls, flooring, and everything else in it’s track. Immediately, my heart sank into despair. I was told to call my insurance company to get help. They sent a clean up company in that night to tear out the flooring, sheetrock and insulation. I had 12 fans and 3 dehumidifiers roaring loudly as they began to dry everything out. I packed up my son and moved into a hotel. I immediately began to call everyone and post on Facebook to get help and advise. I was overwhelmed with the number of people that came to the rescue with recommendations for contractors, painters, and flooring people. I wrote everything down and started planning. Don't remain overwhelmed, alone, or feeling helpless for long. Take a deep breath and surround yourself with as much support as you can.

Never Stop Advocating:

One thing life has taught me, is that waiting around for others to do something OR to do the “right thing” rarely happens. I had paid for flood insurance to help rebuild, but bottom line, the insurance companies were there to protect their own interests. It became painfully clear, that the people who were making the decisions, more often than not, gave me incorrect answers. In fact, most of the time the stress was not from the flood, but the people in charge of helping me to fix it. I cannot tell you the wrong things I was told. Keep asking questions and researching the answers you are being given. Believe me, if you don’t, nobody else will!

This applies to almost everything whether you are dealing with medical professionals, insurances, educational professionals, or anyone else. In the end, after many hours of work, I finally got the money to fix the damage. When crises happen be relentless, keep asking questions, and advocate for yourself! 

Take One Step at a Time:

In addition to all of the flooding, my life had never been busier. I wanted to get everything fixed yesterday, but I had to slow down, prioritize, and get things accomplished one step at a time. My son who has multiple disabilities was going crazy with all the transitions and changes. When I started to calm down, so did my my son. I divided everything into smaller pieces and started moving forward a step at a time. Both my son and I could breath and life remained in greater harmony. When a crisis happens you may need to slow down, think through your priorities, and develop a strategy that works for both you and your family. It may take six months longer but you will be glad you did. It will help you maintain whatever sanity you have left!

Crises are never easy. When you are going through them it seems that you will never get to the other side, but you will.  How have you dealt with crises? Share below what strategies you have used and what has worked in your life.