Do you feel somewhat paralyzed as a result of the current economic downturn? If you’re an avid reader of this blog, you’re aware that this reaction is normal. In previous discussions, we’ve addressed how to cope with the intense anxiety and despair that many are feeling due to the current state of affairs, lay-offs, etc.
Panic is designed to help us survive. Unfortunately, our nervous systems weren’t designed to manage 24/7 media reminders of doom and gloom. They were designed to help us run from Tigers! As a result, panic can induce an “out-of-control” feeling in many of us.
What if I told you that you could learn to control panic? An overwhelming feeling of panic/anxiety can actually be the beginning of a healthy coping process, rather than result in mounting feelings of helplessness.
How do you tame continuous feelings of panic/despair? The answer comes in understanding that Panic and Reason are on opposite sides of the same continuum. If you can get your mind to organize, reason, plan, and take action, you can control panic.
Take for instance the recent events on the Hudson River. Under extremely stressful conditions, Captain Sully Sullenberger managed to guide his plane to a safe water landing.
Is he really that different than the rest of us? Lets take a look:
“It was the worst sickening pit of your stomach, falling through the floor feeling I’ve ever felt in my life. I knew immediately it was very bad....My initial reaction was one of disbelief. ‘I can’t believe this is happening. This doesn’t happen to me!' ". (Interview w/ Katie Couric on 60 Minutes)
Asked what he meant by that, Sullenberger said:
"I meant that I had this expectation that my career would be one in which I didn’t crash an airplane.”
So far he is exactly like you and me. He first felt tremendous panic and disbelief. If you’ve read my blogs on the Science of Survival, you know that everyone caught in stressful circumstances goes through the grief process. The difference between those who survive and those who don’t, is how quickly they proceed through the stages.
Sullenberger went through them quickly. He panicked, was then in Denial (“This isn’t happening to me!”), then Acceptance and finally Action. He explains:
"The physiological reaction to this was very strong. I had to force myself to use my training. It took some concentration, but I forced calm.”
Sullenberger followed this up by telling Katie that he organized his thoughts and carried out action steps.
This is a good example of how the Panic/Reason Response works. If you can get your mind to organize, plan, and execute, you’ll tip the seesaw toward the healthy side, feel a lot better as a result, and actually do something productive. Helping your employees and clients learn to siphon through their panic will do you both wonders! Take some action today rather than staring blindly at the Hudson.
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