The Feel-Fucking-Amazing Crisis Survival Kit (For When Life Is Smacking You Down)
🧯 The Feel-Fucking-Amazing Crisis Survival Kit
Read this when life is smacking you in the face and you’re trying not to completely fall apart.
If you’re here because everything feels too much, welcome. You don’t need to pretend you’re okay. This post is your little internet bunker: zero judgement, zero “just think positive!”, zero performance.
This is not about fixing your entire life in one heroic moment. This is a crisis survival kit — tiny things you can actually do when your brain is loud, your heart is tired, and the world is doing the most.
Take what helps. Leave what doesn't. Come back whenever you need it.
1. First Aid: The 30-Second “Shock Absorber” Breath
When everything hits at once — emails, bills, arguments, grief, panic — your nervous system goes into alarm mode. Before you do anything else, give your body a tiny chance to catch up.
Try this for 30 seconds:
- Sit or stand with both feet on the floor.
- Exhale slowly through your mouth for a count of 6–8.
- Inhale gently through your nose for a count of 4.
- Repeat this 5–8 times. Longer out-breath than in-breath.
You’re not trying to “relax.” You’re just telling your body: “We’re safe enough for the next minute.”
When your body calms by 5%, your brain works 20% better. That’s enough to take the next step.
2. Brain: The “Dump It, Don’t Hold It” List
Overthinking is your brain trying to carry the entire Google Drive of your life at once. Let it off the hook.
Grab paper, notes app, or the back of an envelope.
Write down, without editing:
- everything you’re worried about
- everything that’s pissing you off
- everything that feels heavy or unfair
- everything you “should” be doing
This is a brain vomit, not a gratitude journal. Get it OUT of your head.
When it’s on paper, it’s no longer swirling. You can see it. You can choose one tiny thing at a time instead of trying to fight all of it in your mind.
3. Body: The Basic Needs Scan (Without Shaming Yourself)
You can’t think clearly when your body is running on fumes. Do a quick check:
Ask yourself:
- Have I eaten something vaguely real today?
- Have I drunk any water, not just caffeine?
- Have I moved my body, even slightly?
- Have I slept at least a bit recently?
If any answer is “no”, that’s your first “to-do”. Not the big scary thing. This.
This isn’t about perfection or routines. It’s about giving your brain fuel so it can help you cope, not sabotage you.
4. Environment: 5-Minute “I’m Not a Total Disaster” Reset
When your space is chaos, your brain believes your whole life is chaos. You don’t need a deep clean; you need visual proof you still have some control.
Set a 5-minute timer and do ONLY this:
- Throw rubbish in a bin or bag.
- Clear one surface (desk, bedside table, kitchen counter).
- Put dirty dishes in one place near the sink.
- Open a window or curtain for a bit of light/air.
You are not tidying your life. You are creating one corner that feels less overwhelming.
Even one clear spot in a messy room tells your brain: “See? We can change things.”
5. Money & Comfort: A Crisis-Friendly Comfort Menu
You’re allowed comfort that doesn’t wreck your bank account. Build a personal menu of free or low-cost things that soothe you.
Ideas to start your list:
- hot shower or bath, slowly
- walk around the block with headphones or in silence
- curl up with a blanket and a silly show
- 10 minutes of music that makes you feel something (cry or dance)
- making a simple warm drink at home
- stretching on the floor like a cat having an existential crisis
Your comfort is not a waste of time. It’s fuel.
When you feel powerless, choosing one kind thing for yourself is a quiet act of rebellion.
6. People: Scripts for “I Need You, But I Don’t Know What to Say”
Reaching out is hard when your brain is noisy. Make it easier with ready-made words.
Copy, paste, or adapt these:
- “Hey, I’m having a rough day. Can I vent for a bit?”
- “I don’t need advice, just company. Are you free to chat?”
- “I’m not okay, but I don’t know what I need. Can you just be around?”
- “Can you send me a silly meme or distraction? My brain is heavy.”
You don’t have to be eloquent. You just have to be honest.
The right people don’t need you to be “fine” to love you. Let them show up.
7. Inner Critic: Emergency Lines to Shut It Down
Your inner critic LOVES a crisis. It feels like the perfect time to tell you you’re useless, dramatic, lazy, or too much.
When that voice shows up, try saying (in your head or out loud):
- “Not helpful. Try again with kindness.”
- “I’m allowed to struggle without being attacked by my own brain.”
- “I am doing the best I can with what I’ve got today.”
- “We can hate the situation without hating me.”
You don’t have to believe these lines instantly. You just have to interrupt the old script.
Over time, your default inner voice can go from bully to something closer to a slightly tired but supportive friend.
8. Boundaries: Crisis-Mode “No” That Protects Your Energy
When you’re in crisis, you have less to give. That’s not selfish. That’s reality.
Use these phrases when you need to step back:
- “I’m at capacity right now, I can’t take anything else on.”
- “I want to help, but I don’t have the energy today.”
- “I need to focus on my own stuff for a bit.”
- “That doesn’t work for me right now.”
You don’t have to explain your entire emotional history to justify taking care of yourself.
Every time you protect your energy, you’re telling yourself: “My needs matter too.”
9. When It Feels Really Dark
If your thoughts are drifting into “What’s the point?”, “Everyone would be better off without me”, or you feel like you might hurt yourself — this is bigger than a DIY kit.
You deserve real, human support. Talking to someone doesn’t make you weak or dramatic. It makes you brave and honest.
Reach out to:
- a trusted friend or family member
- a doctor, therapist, or mental health professional
- a crisis line or helpline in your country
You are not a burden for needing help. You are a human in pain — and humans in pain deserve support.
10. You Don’t Have to Fix Everything Today
This kit is not here to magically fix your life. It’s here to help you get through this moment, this day, with a little less chaos and a little more kindness.
You don’t have to:
- figure out your entire future today
- heal every wound today
- be positive, grateful, or productive today
You just have to keep going in small, doable steps:
- one breath
- one honest message
- one glass of water
- one small action you can manage
Your survival is already an achievement. The fact that you’re reading this means you haven’t given up on yourself. And I haven’t either.
Come back to this page whenever you need to. It’ll be here. So will you. 💛
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