Managing through crisis

Have you ever wondered why some people seem to endure in the face of adversity while others appear to be fully traumatised?

In the time of the current crisis growing numbers of schools, colleges, universities and private institutes all across the world are either closed or reduced their operations to minimum. Most of the institutes are temporarily cancelling their face-to-face classes to deal with the impact of the current situation. Indeed, it is a very tough time for IAS aspirants as most of them find it difficult to stay motivated in this time of trying moment. Most of the students have turned to online mode to continue their preparation. These days all conversations have focused almost exclusively on the how of technology, connect more through online etc. Suddenly the digital world is filled with online lectures, videos, pdf etc. Yet while the technological know-how to virtually connect with our students is necessary, it is not sufficient to continue the teaching and learning endeavour. Because we also need to connect emotionally.

Anxiety, fear, worry for the future is very common in such scenarios. And struggling against anxiety and fear can take many forms. People might try to distract themselves by drinking, eating or watching web-series more than usual. They might repeatedly seek reassurance from friends, family and their mentors. Or they might obsessively check news streams, hoping to calm their fears. Although some behaviour can help momentarily, they can make stress worse in some cases. The way to overcome this natural tendency is to build our mental resilience. Resilience is the skill of observing our own feelings, unhooking from the non-constructive ones, and rebalancing rapidly. Resilience does not eradicate life's difficulties. People who possess this resilience understand that setbacks happen and that sometimes life is hard and painful. They still experience the emotional pain, grief, and sense of loss that comes after a tragedy, but their mental position allows them to work through such feelings and recover. When you focus on calming and clearing your mind, you can pay attention to what is really going on around you and what is coming up within you.

“The Edge... There is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over.” ― Hunter S. Thompson.

- Manoj K. Jha