Keep Calm When Disaster Strikes

Now is the time to keep calm. We’re not in control of so many aspects of our lives at the best of times. We can’t control what the other people in our lives are going to do, things can go wrong at work, and then there’s the weather… There’s a lot to manage in normal, grown-up life, but throw in a natural disaster like the one we’re having now, or freak weather that may be our new normal, and life gets crazy real quick. So, what to do when disaster strikes?

Keep Calm To Manage The Fear

The world is scary, especially now when we’re all on lock down. You don’t have to be in recovery to feel unbalanced. Any number of normal things can make anyone feel shaken.  You just have to know what to do. Safety becomes number one. Getting in contact with people and maintaining forms of contact with family and friends is critical. Confirm for others that you and anyone you’re responsible for are safe. Let someone know immediately if you are not safe, physically or mentally. If you’re in harm’s way, call for help. If it’s more emotional, make sure you have a list of people handy you can contact by phone, computer, or whatever other means you’re using. Write phone numbers and emails down in case your phone loses power and you need to use someone else’s.

What matters is staying in solution so use your recovery tools

Once I’m sure I’m safe, here are the things I do to keep calm.

1. 1. I call someone and make a plan for the next day, three days, or week. Whatever is called for. That person could be a significant other, a parent, a sponsor, a reliable friend, or a professional of some kind. It always helps to make a plan with someone who can check in on you and cares for your well-being.
   2. If possible, I get to a recovery place and do a recovery thing. For me, that’s a meeting, meditation class, yoga or hiking. Try Intherooms.org if you can’t get out of the house. Getting out of my head and into action of some kind always gives me that space to detach a little from the problem and return to it when I have more perspective and tolerance.
   3. I work a program and don’t spin about the problem. That means I pay extra time and attention to self-care, nutrition, and staying connected to friends. That’s also the time I show up to work or life and just do the next right thing. I try not to think three steps ahead and focus entirely on what I can do that day.

We can’t control what happens but we can control how we react to it. Having three basic actions to take one the situation is safe helps me to keep calm and carry on, no matter what’s going on.