You’ve probably heard it said: crisis brings opportunity. Not just any regular opportunity either – an opportunity for a profound rebirth.
But what does that mean? And how do you do it?
While you’re smack dab in the middle of a crisis, breakdown, meltdown, or time of loss by any other name, it certainly doesn’t feel like a portal to rebirth. Yet, it is. Whether this describes your life situation now, or you want to tuck this away for a future time, here are the steps you need to begin to excavate the opportunity out of the crisis:
1. Accept the crisis as the holder of control
As long as you’re fighting to stay in control, keep your head above water, soldier on, or whatever other expression you might use to deny the crisis, the opportunity for rebirth will remain elusive. When your life is in a state of breakdown—when your identity, comforts, beliefs, assumptions fail you—it’s not the time to fortify them. And it’s long past time to justify them. The only thing to do now is release your hold on them. This way, you can discover who you are without them.
2. Commit to radical self-examination
The crisis has not come to torment you, though it might feel like it. Instead, it is turning your life inside out so that you can see it from a different perspective. The wisest way to move through a crisis, therefore, is to do the diligent work of self-examination and inquiry the crisis is asking you to do.
What have you lost?
What else has it taken along with it?
How was it supporting you?
How was it holding you back?
Where did it come from?
Who are you without this person/thing/status/belief?
This can sometimes be a cringe-worthy exercise, but if you do it with the right support and in the right frame of mind (a sense of humor, even a biting one, can be a helpful companion), you can begin to accept yourself and heal.
3. Sort through the remains
Once you’ve completed the examination (for now!), you can start deciding what beliefs and ideas you’re going to take with you into your rebirth. Not everything has to go! Choose to keep the beliefs and ideas that still motivate and inspire you. Let go of the ones that have held you back, caused you shame, or were born out of trauma.
4. Reclaim pieces of yourself (soul retrieval)
In stressful or traumatic moments in our lives, we leave pieces of ourselves behind. Use the space the crisis has provided to begin returning to these places and retrieve pieces of your soul. There are all kinds of methods and techniques, as well as books and courses, to help you undergo soul retrieval. For instance, Soul Retrieval: Mending the Fragmented Self, by Sandra Ingerman.
5. Build a new network of support
Like a baby emerging into the world, you deserve to be surrounded by health and generosity in the before and during this time. Begin to build a network of people and communities that can support the new you. And take your time…moving through quickly into a new manifestation of yourself can backfire. Walk before you run, and be patient and kind with your newly emerged self.
Enjoy reading this article? Read more from Keri Mangis in her Healthy Lifestyle Tips & Tricks and Secrets to Personal Transformation columns