It’s not uncommon and it calls for action, not shame. Depression, anxiety, mania, stress, substances – sometimes we live on the edge. And it comes at a cost. How to survive a depression or anxiety crisis? Let’s talk…

Beneath your conscious awareness, a dangerous amount of biological and environmental fuel accumulated.

Then came the igniting trigger, and you blew. It was crisis time and you believed there was no way out.

Be prepared

Does that hit home? Maybe you’re up to your neck in it right now. Lord knows I’ve been there a time or ten.

Fact is, we know blowouts can sneak up on us anytime. Yet all too often we aren’t prepared with coping strategies and techniques to pull us through.

We can’t be caught off guard like that.

How to survive a depression or anxiety crisis

Between personal experience and my ER psych days, I’ve gathered a lengthy list of in the moment crisis interventions – some of which I still use to maintain balance.

I’m going to share 17 of them, but first…

If the tips don’t work for you, don’t think twice about reaching out to your mental health provider. If you don’t have one or if you’re having thoughts of harm to self or others dial 988 in the US. For those living elsewhere visit this incredibly helpful directory.

Let’s get busy…

17 Chipur tipurs

When the feeling of crisis strikes…

1. STOP! Ground yourself and be confident in knowing your world comes to an end only by choice.
2. Accept what’s happening and the factors driving it – no fighting. And accept that taking hits is a part of being human. It’s okay.
3. Turn to the intervention plan you either have or will have after reading this.
4. Stay in the moment. If you start thinking down the road, you’re not going to like what you see.
5. Connect with your spiritual power source and maintain communication – pray, meditate. In addition to asking for help, listen.
6. In all things, maintain a spirit of forward motion. Even if it’s inches at a time, you’re on your way.
7. If you’ve been through it before, here you are again. Obviously, you aren’t going down.
8. Understand there’s a good chance that what you’re feeling and how you’re behaving are being generated by cognitive distortions. Don’t blindly trust your thoughts.
9. Allow your reaction and response to evolve. If you force them, things will turn uglier.
10. Embrace who you are, not what. And what better time to learn the distinction.
11. Consider the circumstances as the best possible learning and growth opportunity, and make it your business to do just that.
12. Take what’s happening within the context of your life’s meaning. And if you don’t have one, get after it.
13. Embrace your suffering and be worthy of it. What you expect from life is irrelevant. It’s what life expects from you that matters.
14. In addition to your spiritual power source, reach out to a trusted loved one, friend, spiritual advisor, or mental health pro.
15. This may well be a life-defining moment. Step up, and make it happen.
16. Keep telling yourself there’s no shame in what you’re experiencing.
17. Never give up on hope. It never quit on you.

Now, you may be thinking that’s way too much to ponder when all hell’s breaking loose. But if you review the list several times – a part of being prepared – you’ll be amazed how much falls into place when the chips are down.

And why not favorite the article or print it? Perhaps it can be part of your plan.

So it begins

Those of us trying to manage mood and anxiety challenges live on the edge. And we pay for it. Explosions are going to happen – that’s just the way it is.

If we accept that, we don’t have to be a helpless and hopeless victim. What we can be is prepared. And so begins surviving a crisis.

Maybe a few more Chipur mood and anxiety info and inspiration articles will come in handy. Take your pick.