By: Denise Lockhart, Family Service PEI
Even though winter is fast approaching (yikes!!), we are not talking about the 72 hour emergency preparedness that will likely hit your radar at around December. Instead this month we will be talking about different types of emergencies that might happen in your life. But first, let’s set the stage a little.
What is an emergency? Well, an emergency can be anything. It could be a flat tire. A fender-bender. Losing your wallet. A death in the family. Becoming ill. Losing a favorite blanket or teddy. And the list can go on and on. Some people may also refer to an emergency as a crisis. The key defining points of an emergency situation are:
- The event is unexpected.
- The event causes some sort of harm or stress (an emotional or physical impact).
- Something needs to change or be rectified before you can move on.
So, if you look at key point number 1, you may at this point be asking yourself, “how can I possibly prepare for the unexpected????”
And the honest truth is – you can’t. To a certain extent, life is simply a ride that we cannot predict. Sometimes things will happen that are tough, and unexpected. BUT – there are things we can do to position ourselves to be able to cope more effectively with tough situations. And, hopefully, some of these preparations will also help us move past the emergency (or crisis, tough time, however you wish to refer to it) much more quickly.
Here are some tips that can help:
1) Take care of yourself – physically, emotionally, spiritually. Unexpected life events can really have an impact on our overall health. But, if you already are well rested, nourished, and overall happy and settled in life it will be easier to cope with the stress of an emergency. You will also be able to more quickly settle back into healthy habits that are familiar to you once the event has passed. This will help you move on more quickly and reestablish a level of ‘normal’ to your life.
2) Have a savings account — that actually has money in it! Some people consider this a rainy day fund. Sometimes, emergencies require a little extra cash. Especially if something needs to be fixed or you need to take some unpaid leave from the workforce.
3) Surround yourself with a support network. This might be friends, family, peers. It doesn’t matter who is in your network, just make sure you have one. And that it is supportive. Having toxic people in your life, as a general rule, can be unhelpful and stressful. But having toxic people in your life when you are struggling to deal with an emergency can really make things more difficult. And being alone is not helpful either. Social relationships take time and effort. Yet, at the core we need those relationships so that we can pull strength from them at difficult times in our lives.
4) Ask for help. The amount of information available to us in 2014 is unprecedented. Take advantage of this. If you have encountered an issue and you can’t seem to solve or move past it – reach out. Do an internet search to find out what sorts of services are out there. It’s highly likely that someone else, somewhere else in the world (or even in your neighborhood) has encountered this same situation and has overcome it. You can too. It just might take some time. And you might need some help.