Crisis Management

Are you prepared for a crisis? I’m sure you are. You have smoke detectors and a fire extinguisher in your house. You have a spare tire in your vehicle. You have a little bit of money in your savings account. You have some extra canned goods in the pantry. You have a candle and flashlights in case the power goes out. You have Band-Aids in the cupboard for scraped knees and owies. You have snacks in your purse for the child that is starving. You even have a stash of greeting cards, just in case, there’s a last-minute need for some well-wishes. You are prepared for anything that comes your way. As long as it has nothing to do with you.

Wait, what?

Hang with me a minute... you have a spare tire for the vehicle. You have a fire extinguisher for the house. You have snacks for your kids. But what do you have for you? What happens when you’re the one in crisis? What happens when you’re the one that needs the extra attention? Most of the time, nothing happens. You just push through it and keep on keepin’ on. You ignore the early signals, the smoke signals if you will, and just power through it. You convince yourself there isn’t time, there isn’t money, there isn’t enough opportunity. You have to do x, y, z first... Yes, sometimes it is necessary, but often times it is not.

Think about the tire on your car for a minute. If you walked out in the morning and saw that it was low, you’d air it up, right? I mean you could drive on it, but it will only take a quick minute to put air in and get to work. Then you could have the repair shop take a look at it before making the trip home. They get it fixed up, maybe rotate your tires, and you know you’re good to go when you head for home that day. What would have happened if you’d have waited to put air in and have it fixed? Eventually, the tire would be completely flat and you would not be able to drive on it-or you’d risk damaging the rim by doing so. With a little bit of preventative care, you were able to avoid a side-of-the-road-in-a-blizzard-type crisis.

You are the same way, my friend. Sure, you can keep on rolling, but in the long run, is that serving you? What happens when you reach crisis mode? Are you able to be a good mom? Do you feel like a good wife/friend/employee? Do you even feel good about yourself? Everything suffers when you’re in crisis. Everything. You can avoid crisis mode though. All you need is a little self-care. I have said it before, but I will say it again. Self-care isn’t selfish, it is a necessity.

Self-care should be preventative medicine. It should be a part of your regular routine. Just like the regular maintenance you provide your car or the regular updates on your devices, your body deserves routine care as well. Your phone works better if you charge it every day doesn’t it? While it’s hard to believe, your body is also a machine, with more advanced technology than any device available today. You NEED to recharge. You NEED preventive care. You NEED to take care of yourself before you’re in crisis. I promise you; it is worth it. You are worth it.