How to Stay Flexible in a Crisis

Flexibility may be the most important quality in a crisis

Published in

Small Steps

5 min readJun 15, 2020

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A crisis often requires you to make huge changes in your life, causing great stress. For example, during the height of the coronavirus pandemic, most people had to keep away from their loved ones and stop going out except in extremely limited circumstances. Some had to work from home, while others were forced to deal with the loss of their jobs.

All but the most grounded of people found this taxing.

During a crisis, flexibility is arguably the most useful skill to cultivate. Flexibility is “the ability to shift perspectives or actions when new or unexpected events arise.”¹

So, what are the best ways of coping with a crisis? Here are five small steps you can take to help you get through difficult situations.

1. Make a Plan in a Crisis

We are often advised to keep calm during a crisis, but sometimes fast action is necessary. An old story illustrates this. A journalist reporting on a train accident asked a passenger if anyone had panicked. To the reporter’s surprise, the passenger replied that the person who panicked broke the window and got everyone out. The panic wasn’t so great that it stopped him or her thinking quickly.

Luckily, most people have time to plan during a crisis. Planning helps prevent the feeling of being overwhelmed.

First, find out all the necessary information by watching the news or researching the situation, and then jot down some ideas. For example, can you apply for government funds, or should you see your health insurance company?

Write a list of the actions that you need to take, or if you’re unsure about something, write a list of the pros and cons.

2. Focus on the Small Things

According to Emma Sue Prince, “adapting successfully is about focusing on the small things.”²

Try to avoid making big decisions during a crisis unless absolutely necessary, but take small steps towards achieving your aims instead. If an important decision is required, break it up into tiny actions. For example, if you need to defer mortgage payments, write a list of the steps you’ll need to take, such as seeking financial advice, filling in the relevant forms, and sending them in.

The old advice to “live from day to day” can be helpful during a crisis. Do what you can to achieve your goals each day, but also be prepared for unexpected changes in your lifestyle if the situation is ongoing.

For example, during a pandemic, some medical practitioners advise people to buy enough food for two weeks. Don’t panic about this sort of advice, but try to be calm and careful about buying the necessary supplies.

3. Emphasize Your Mental Health in a Crisis

Taking care of your mental health is critically important during a crisis. Most people find that keeping to a routine helps, but new routines and new arrangements may be necessary. Many people coped with the disruption of home-schooling, for example, during the pandemic. This sudden change forced people to make different schedules while working at home and helping their children with schoolwork.

Activities, such as mindfulness, yoga, aerobics, and relaxation, help our mental health, and studies also show that they improve flexibility and other executive functions.³ Try to find time to practice one of these activities every day. Enjoyable hobbies, such as crafting, also help to calm the mind. Walking, enjoying a cup of tea or coffee, and listening to music are other suggestions.

Reading is the ultimate way to relax at any time, however. Cognitive neuropsychologist Dr. David Lewis conducted a study of a group of volunteers at the University of Sussex through the consultancy Mindlab International. First, the volunteers’ stress levels and heart rate were increased by tests and exercises, and then the effect of a variety of traditional methods of relaxation was studied. Reading worked best, reducing stress levels by 68 percent.⁴

4. Positive Thoughts Help in a Crisis

Think of flexibility as “medicine against anxiety,”⁵ and focus on new opportunities, and ways to make positive changes in your life. For example, a crisis may provide the chance to learn a new skill, make new friendships, or find a new hobby. It may even enable you to find a more suitable and interesting career path.

Avoid watching or listening to too much bad news, but be aware of what is happening. Look for the silver lining and pay attention to good news stories to avoid feeling downhearted. Also, there may be positive changes in your life which you haven’t even noticed. Are people kinder and nicer to each other, for example? Have you engaged more with your neighbors?

5. Use Humor to Help You Through A Crisis

Two studies which looked at the effect of humor on stress found that humor tended to reduce stress. However, this only applied to positive humor, such as jokes which made people feel better about themselves, because this helped people to feel supported, and to see new perspectives about the situation.

On the other hand, self-deprecating humor increased stress, but this may be because people who make these jokes often don’t feel socially supported, and have difficulty seeing new angles.⁶

According to the Mayo Clinic, laughter has many benefits. It:

may improve your immune system
produces natural painkillers
increases personal satisfaction
helps change your mood.⁷

When you want to relieve tension during an on-going crisis, take a break from all the bad news by sharing a laugh with friends, watching a funny movie, or reading an amusing book.

Use these suggestions to help you remain flexible during a crisis. Remember what Albert Camus said: