Crisis

We all go through ups and downs in life, and we are usually capable of handling these situations ourselves. However sometimes, following a dramatic change or event in our lives, we find it difficult to cope. A crisis is a temporary emotional state that usually lasts a few weeks, in which we may experience a sense of shock or imbalance, caused by an event or change in our life that we may have difficulty handling. The situation is defined as a crisis when our usual methods of problem-solving aren't working and all our attempts to resolve the situation using the tools we've used in the past have failed. We might even find it difficult to remember how we previously managed to handle difficult situations. Daily life suddenly seems threatening. Often we cannot understand why this happened to us and wonder if we are to blame for the situation. Examples of events that may cause crisis are: the death of someone close to us, serious illness, relationship problems, being fired, being directly or indirectly exposed to a traumatic event such as a terror attack, traffic accident, physical or sexual attack and so on. While these events are indeed negative, it is important to note that positive changes in life, such as marriage, birth and moving can also cause feelings of crisis.

What causes a crisis?
Crisis is caused not only by the event itself, but also from the way in which we perceive it. It is important to understand that we are the ones who define and give meaning to the events in our lives. Therefore, an event that may prove challenging for one person become a crisis for someone else. Even more than that – the same person can experience the same event at different times of life with different degrees of intensity. Any event can become a crisis if it is sudden, powerful or emotionally charged. An event or a change can cause a crisis if they upset our internal equilibrium and interfere with our ability to cope. When we are able to restore a sense of order and control to our lives, the crisis will usually pass.

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