MSU Extension Food & Health

There are many circumstances in life that are beyond our control. In the face of accidents, illness or financial loss, it is very common to feel overwhelmed as we try to repair things that are outside of our power to fix. Many of us do not feel prepared to get through these kinds of situations, and feelings of hopelessness may sneak in much quicker than many of us would like to admit.

When life feels like it’s spinning out of control, how can we come out okay on the other side?

In the Face of Crisis

The most important thing to remember when facing this kind of stress is that there is a future beyond this. This is just a moment in your life, and you will not always feel the way you feel now. Getting through this event means that you will be around for better times in the future.

The next thing to remember is that endurance increases within community. When we feel crushed by the weight of stress, many of us pull away from social events. Instead, consider reaching out and spending time with others. Although it can feel risky to tell others how you are feeling, connecting with others reduces stress and increases our capacity to recover quickly from difficulties. Conversely, loneliness increases the risks of depression, anxiety, and even cardiovascular problems. Finding a community, even a small community, of people who care about you significantly improves the ability to persevere. If you do not feel that you have relationships with people capable of understanding your experience, consider reaching out for professional assistance. Community can be more than family members or neighbors and might include a therapist, your primary care physician or a spiritual leader. Building friendships and support systems are key to managing stress.

It can also help to remember that resiliency, or the ability to recover from stressful situations, is a skill that can be improved. Being proactive in developing healthy habits and positive coping skills before a crisis occurs can improve your ability to endure and recover in the face of stress.

Approaches to Improve Resiliency

To better cope with stress, consider including:

• Adding self-care into your daily routine through recreation, rest and creative outlets. Stress affects physical health as well as emotional health, and taking care of our physical body helps us to better manage the emotional toll. It is important to get enough sleep, eat well and find activities that are enjoyable even in the middle of a difficult situation. Self-care is often neglected when we feel overwhelmed but taking the time to meet basic needs can help sustain us until our situation improves.
• Using mindfulness techniques like meditation, journaling or spiritual practices may help with processing emotions as they are happening, rather than bottling them up until they feel overpowering. Processing can be as simple as recognizing the emotion, determining why you are experiencing it, and then accepting it. Sometimes that is enough to move on, and sometimes we need to sit with that emotion for a while. Taking the time to experience our feelings, even when they are uncomfortable, helps to reduce anxiety and depression. MSU Extension offers a variety of tools to easily incorporate mindfulness practices into your life.
• Focusing on tasks that allow you to see closure and to feel a sense of accomplishment, like cleaning a room of the house or organizing tools. When life feels out of control, finding tasks we can complete can help us to regain a sense of control and minimize the discomfort we are experiencing.
• Choosing a different mindset can help us get through these events as well. Fighting an event that you cannot stop or change is a losing battle, and will leave you feeling stressed and frustrated. Many report that choosing to accept what is happening brings them a sense of peace. Yes, life may look different after this passes, but there will still be life.

Opportunities to Connect

You are not alone. If you find that you are struggling with suicidal thoughts, there is help available. Consider reaching out to 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can call or text 988, or you can visit their website to chat with a Lifeline counselor through their online chat option. This resource is very accessible as they offer translation services for many languages and support for the hard of hearing. 988 is also beneficial for those who are concerned about a friend or family member and want to find support and guidance in helping them.

Michigan State University Extension offers a variety of programming and resources to support yourself or loved ones undergoing mental health distress. If you are a farmer coping with stress, the Managing Farm Stress website at Michigan State University Extension offers resources like teletherapy and education about recognizing signs of stress. MSU Extension offers programs such as Mental Health First Aid, which can teach you how to support someone who is experiencing a mental health challenge or crisis.