#8 Do Crisis Better

FROM THIS SHOW...

Once bipolar is "active" it can often lead to a rocky path, from one episode-fueled crisis to the next. This isn't even accounting for the inevitable non-mental health crises that appear in life.

Philip and Mike share from recent personal crises and how their mental game gets thrown off by unforeseen challenges. 

Discover how a few key practices help them recover more quickly and "level up" their ability to handle future events! 

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TAKEAWAYS

• Don't run away from the emotions of a crisis. Allow yourself to feel the worry and the loss and everything else.
• Stay accountable to basic life routines during crisis. When these begin to slip, enlist the help of your Lifers.
• Doing better at crisis means continuing to "show up" and decide what you want this event to say about you.

Lifer Discussion Guide

Below are some crisis-shifting questions for you and your Lifer. Just because crisis is unavoidable doesn't mean we can't labor to do it well! This guide is a great "conversational blueprint" for gaining better crisis management in the future.

It is important not to force this discussion during an actual crisis. Wait for it to lift. Don't be a fixer, and don't try to rescue your loved one out of their difficulties! Let people work out their own solution to the event, and then you can help them work out new skills for the next one.

1) What is your earliest memory of having a hard time?

2) What was the cause of your last crisis? / Were you able to identify what was most important about that event? / Why or why not?

3) Do you prefer to shut down emotions or show them during crisis? / How does that help you?

4) Where can you retreat to during crisis to "stop the whirlwind"?

5) What healthy life rhythms or activities go out the window first when you enter a crisis? / Would you let me help you prevent this when a future event appears?

6) What is one thing you want your crisis response to say about you?

Download your free Lifer Crisis Plan. This handy little guide will help you and your Lifer(s) establish a clear communication strategy, to help anticipate challenges and avoid escalation into full-blown bipolar episodes.