Avoiding Emergencies

 

Source: Seluk, N. (2023). The Awkward Yeti [Comic Heart and Brain]. In Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/theawkwardyeti/p/CpNsTw7rMZI/?img_index=1

Avoiding emergencies?  If only that were possible.  Well, in some cases it actually is.  Sometimes we create our own emergencies by how we manage our time and structure our lives. By simply planning ahead and spending some time thinking through issues, we can often keep a problem from turning into something much worse.

Think of it this way: 

• You're almost out of gas in your car, but it's been a really long day.  You just want to go home and decide to deal with putting gas in your car on the way to work/class tomorrow.  But.... now it's the next morning.  There's a traffic jam, you're late, your car is about to run out of gas stuck in traffic on the highway, and your boss is calling you asking why you're not at work yet.

• Your paper is due, but you've decided to work on it over the weekend rather than try to get started on it during the week.  But... now there's a storm, the power and internet are out, and your deadline is in an hour.

We've all been in situations like these.  Yes, the plans we made at the time made perfect sense.  We just didn't think that life was going to throw us a curveball like that to deal with. And, now we're frantic, late, and angry at ourselves and the world around us.  If only our crystal ball could have warned us.... 

Well, there is no crystal ball.  And, there's no way to avoid all emergencies.  Life is always going to give us challenges to deal with.  However, we can make small changes every day that can help us to avoid creating our own emergencies.  So, what can you do today that will make your life easier and less stressful tomorrow?

1. Plan ahead.  Having a solid plan can head off a lot of problems ahead of time.
2. Try to imagine what can go wrong.  There will always be other issues that pop up, but imagine what can go wrong and plan for a way to deal with these issues.  
3. Have a plan A, plan B, plan C..... etc.  Just like driving from one destination to another, there are several roads that you can take.  If your original route is blocked, you'd just pick another path.  Do the same with other aspects of your life.
4. Take a deep breath.  It's often easier to deal with problems calmly rather than overreact.  By taking a moment to breathe and think things through, you may find a very simple solution.
5. Take care of yourself - not just when you are burnt out, ready to scream, and getting sick. By taking care of yourself a little every day, you can keep your stress levels down.  It will help not only your mental health - but also your physical health.

No, you can't avoid all of life's pitfalls.  Life is challenging. But, that doesn't mean that you have to make life more challenging than it already is.