Picture this scenario: You have been planning something big or you have been invited to a party that might well be the talk of the town and you so much want to attend or you have an impending work load and deadline to meet or you have a final exam paper to write. You have diligently prepared for any of these possible scenarios and all you need to do now is chillax and wait for the D day. As the D day approaches, your excitement heightens and as days turn to hours and hours to minutes, you start counting the seconds until the time you have to step out and have the time of your life… only thing is, at that particular moment, the elements and the gods seem to be in cahoots; conspiring against you and your dreams… your pain demons decide to show their face and fangs only at that crucial moment. You are like NOT NOW! But they are like YES, NOW! You are not going anywhere, stay there! What will you do?
Do these scenarios sound familiar warriors? Fighting a full blown crisis is something many warriors have become experts in and I would say, one of the coping mechanisms and survival tactics we develop to carry on in this journey we call life, least we get discouraged, frustrated and get into depression. I think everyone hates to be disappointed at the last minute of an important event because of some unforeseen occurrence. How much more so warriors who just want to have as normal a life as possible but life keeps saying no. A lot of us have developed ways to fend off impending crisis or prevent a full blown crisis when we rather be out there doing something else. In this blog post, I will be sharing some of the things I have learnt to do to keep impending crises at bay.
The first thing is to understand your body very well so as to be able to pick out telltale signs of an impending crisis. Just like dark clouds or extremely hot weather would signal an impending rain storm, paying attention to your body would help you know when a possible crisis is coming and then; act! What do I do?
I take a pain killer as soon as I feel those signs of an impending crisis. Mind you, I don’t just swallow them medicines anyha. There are situations when lying down or just drinking enough water does the trick. However, there are times I know only a mild pain killer would be needed to prevent a crisis as soon as possible. That’s why I am always walking with a mild pain killer. There’s also a possibility that sometimes, I may have to take these pain killers continuously for a number of days or even weeks IF I want to go on with my life as normally as possible. I may appear at work outwardly calm and cool as a cucumber or appear at that function full of smiles and all glammed up or at that examination hall, ready to tackle the questions in front of me… to the outside world, I am perfectly ok. Only I know the silent battle I am waging with my system and the weapons I am using… the pain killers.
Another thing I do is to try as much as possible to eat healthy. Naturally, healthy eating should be a part of our everyday diet regiment. However, during those times I am fighting a full blown crisis, I up the eating a notch further. This is necessary because my system is already weak from the fight of warding off a crisis and just like a soldier needs to restock their weapons to stay in the battlefield, I need to do everything possible to eat right and build my immune system, make it stronger and ready to fight. Filling my body with pain killers alone will not do the trick. I have to eat and besides, painkillers without food will stop working after a while, causing more damage to my already weakened system. So eat healthy, I must if I want to successfully ward off that particular crisis. And the best thing is, eating healthy is not boring but it does help keep us far from the hospital.
Also, staying hydrated is a very important element in this operation ward off a full blown crisis. We need fuel to drive a battle car around the battle field if we are using such machinery. In a similar way, water will help to keep the body hydrated and drive the sickled red blood cells through, preventing them from accumulating around the joints to provoke the crisis… so drink, drink, drink and drink some more water! And while you are at it, remember to avoid cold drinks and keep warm.
A positive mind set is very essential. Granted, it is near impossible to stay positive when fighting a battle, especially one that may well mean the difference between life and death, between staying home and seeing your dreams go down the drainage but staying positive is a win win. Negativity will not change the fact that the pains are there and may blow out of control at any given time… yet, a little positivity makes a whole lot of difference. So, I keep my mind stress free and positive as much as I can. Laugh often, have fun. Be Happy!
And of course, pray and keep the faith! In this ever constant battle of survival, they too have their part. Make use of them.
These are the few simple steps I have employed over the years to fight off a full blown crisis again and again. Sometimes, they work and they give me a breather for long periods of time. Other times, they don’t and I have to listen to my body and take a much deserved rest. I have come to realized that while it is important to do all we can to stay pain free and away from the hospitals, we also need to know when to throw down the towel so to speak and give our body a much needed respite. Yes, we may not want to miss that party, that deadline, that exam paper or we just may not want to be getting those pitying looks… yet, we should remember even seasoned fighters in a battle sometimes, take a break to recoup and come back to fight again. In a similar way, when we have done all we can to fend off a full blown crisis and still feel like we haven’t done anything, let’s listen to our bodies, take the much deserved rest in our homes or favourite battle field, recoup, mend and come back to keep fighting!
What steps do you take to prevent a full blown crisis warriors? Share and let’s learn.
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ARREY-E.AGBOR-NDAKAW
Thanks for the information it is very helpful
Hi Beltine,
Thank you for stopping by and for leaving a word. Glad you found this helpful.
Do come again.