Happily Manage Crisis

Crisis in Office - boss, managers, clients, colleagues, been let go overnight or asked to serve a notice period.?

Crisis in Business - payments, contracts, vendors, being bypassed or cut off from a deal where you have worked hard, not paid for your services after you have put your blood and sweat for a client.

The List is endless.

Work is our survival mechanism to avoid crises in our present and future parts of life. But work management is all about fighting one battle after the other.

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So how do you keep calm and keep moving forward??

Here are some tips.

1. Start your day with a fresh mindset: Wake up early and enjoy the morning breeze, do not engage with your phone immediately when you wake up. Feel the nature, spend time with your kids or partner, help them prepare for their mornings, pet your dog/cat, have a cup of tea/coffee (whatever works for you) but do not carry yesterday’s failures in your mind.

2. Stay focused on the present moment: Avoid starting your with your phone in your hand instead put on your favorite music however if you can't keep away from your phone for long then use it but don’t go to your pending messages yet. Don't let your mind wander to the past or future; instead, concentrate on the here and now. Read the news, watch some reels (whatever helps you) to keep a smile on your face, live in this moment. This will help reduce anxiety and stress.

3. Use positive self-talk: Repeat positive affirmations to yourself, back yourself with "I am strong, "I can handle this,". Close your eyes for a few minutes and chant them in your mind.

4. Get in work mode and stay informed: Keep yourself informed about the situation, but limit your exposure to media coverage if it is causing you undue stress. Try to plan step by step your following action. Always keep plan B in place, if need be, and plan C.

5. Planning and Execution: Plan your next steps with a calm head and one step at a time. For all your plans, set timelines to pivot to plan B or C if things don’t execute in time.

6. Polite and Calm in every situation: When going through a crisis, you may encounter problems where you will lose "IT", but that’s the time you have to calm your nerves the most. Any decision or action out of impulse may come back to bite you.

7. Deep Breathing: It helps calm your nerves and immediately reduces anxiety. I, too, never did this seriously until somebody during a game (cricket) told me to practice it, and the results were terrific. A few deep breaths pump oxygen to the brain and calm you down to help you think better in any situation. It would be best if you introduced this in daily practice and not leave for stressful situations only.

8. Speak and Open up: Reach out to loved ones and talk to them about their day and your day. By speaking out your thoughts, you feel less burdened. Take professional help if you need to (don't shy away from it). The more you talk, the more ideas you will get which may work for you.

9. Positive Surroundings: Surround yourself with happy and positive individuals. After a long, tough day, it is crucial that you meet your partner or friends in a place where you all can unwind and have a good laugh.

10. Engage in physical activity: Exercise or engage in physical activity to release built-up tension and stress. Involve yourself physically to forget about what’s going in your head for 45-60mins a day. It may not be about just going to a GYM, everybody is not a GYM person you may just pick up a sport you left long ago for family or professional commitments. Its about being active, tiering yourself which acts as an added step to help you just switch off and sleep better at night. Activities like Yoga or Meditation may also work well for some.

To each of their own.

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Remember, it's normal to feel overwhelmed or helpless during a crisis, but finding ways to stay calm and focused is essential. Your thoughts during the day will mostly be "what will happen next" "how will this phase pass", and "why is it happening to me" but by adding confidence and some positivity, trust me, you will Happily Manage any Crisis.