Slowing Down Can Help You Handle a Crisis

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One of the most challenging parts of life is that there is no way to stop hard moments from happening. You can do all the inner work, establish your inner peace, and elevate your level of self-awareness, and still the uncontrollable nature of life will cause some abrupt change to arise that will test the depth of your growth. The ups and downs of life are real and unavoidable.

The death of a loved one, divorce, breakups, losing a job; there are so many ways that big changes can happen that leave you shaken. It is deeply unsettling to be pushed into an unwanted new beginning. Ultimately, once you are there, you might as well handle the crisis in a way that is skillful while honoring the truth of your emotions.

In moments of emotional crisis, it is easy to get sucked into reaction, because emotions are so heightened. Reaction usually makes things messy. Impulsiveness does not lead to wise actions. The first thing you want to do is slow down. It will feel hard to slow down, especially if the moment calls for action, but even giving yourself 30 minutes to turn your self-awareness back on and intentionally look at the emotions floating in your mind will be exceedingly valuable.

You need a bit of time to differentiate between impulsiveness and how you actually want to show up in the moment. If your aim is compassionate skillfulness, slowing down will be your greatest asset so you can get a clear view of what is happening within you and around you.

Grief doesn’t have a time limit. Suppressing your emotions is never helpful. What does help is embracing the subtle path of feeling your emotions without fueling them or becoming them. Observing yourself with a loving yet objective mind will help you not grab onto the emotions that are passing through you.

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Sometimes the emotions will be really heavy, and there is nothing wrong with that. When you lean on self-awareness, you can witness their impermanent nature. The magic of healing is in acceptance. When you can simply be with the emotional tension without attaching yourself to it, the heaviness will eventually evaporate.

There is no perfect solution for a crisis. Reminding yourself of your sphere of control (your actions) is helpful because the mind often tries to attach itself to things that are beyond it. Crisis is highly situational. What does matter is that you are living in alignment with your values, your intuition, and your nervous system.

You cannot control others, but you can make sure to voice your truth. You need to find balance between choosing actions that help create a new harmony and making sure that you are not over-extending how much you can personally tolerate. Being constantly self-sacrificing is a form of people pleasing that will leave you exhausted. If you need to stand up for yourself, do so. Voicing your truth will help those around you know where you stand, and it will help a new normalcy develop where your needs are not ignored.

Slowing down is one of the best gifts you can give yourself because it enhances your self-awareness and deepens your rejuvenation. Slowing down helps you tap back into your best qualities. Self-awareness is critical because it will help you stay on a path that leads to a better life. This is why I spent a lot of time in my new book Journey writing about the art of slowing down and the power of self-awareness, because these are essential elements that can help you turn a hard moment into a new era of thriving.

Even if this current chapter is difficult, it does not mean that your story will end that way. In the history of the universe, there has never been a storm that has lasted forever. Even the deepest pain is temporary. Crisis, by nature, is fleeting.

You can preorder Journey worldwide here.

My newest book Journey directly focuses on letting go of stress and finding your purpose. If you enjoyed my previous books Inward and Clarity & Connection, then you’ll enjoy the way Journey is set up.

What is special about Journey is that it not only has short prose that helps you reflect, but it is also designed as a yearlong growth experience that supports you in practicing new ways of being.

I’m hosting an event in NYC this Monday and I am really excited to get to meet you there. This event is designed as a reading party so it’s intentionally kept small! We will be able to talk to each other and move through an experience together.

The evening moves through three parts that mirror the emotional arc of Lighter. We start by letting go of the past through an opening activity and reflective journaling. From there, we move into the present with guided small group connection and a facilitated conversation with Diego. We close by looking toward the future with a reading block, a live Q&A with Diego, and a mingle and book signing to end the night.

There are only a few tickets left. If you want to come, grab yours asap because it will sell out. I’m keeping this event really small so that it’s easier for us to connect.

Get Your Ticket Here.

I started a new Instagram page called yungpueblonotes for deeper writing. Stuff that the algorithm won’t support but I thought it was important to have a space there for more serious readers. If you click the images below, it will take you there. Hope this new page serves you well!