By Greg Primm
I fully admit it. I get caught up in a good panic every now and then. Problems come, and I just freak out. Sometimes I hold it together as long as I can but then out it comes in a flood of worry, uncertainty, and emotion. I try not to let it happen in public, cause it ain’t pretty.
One good definition of the word: ”panic is a sudden fear which dominates or replaces thinking.” Replaces thinking – let me think on that for a while.
Swine Flu.
Mad Cow Disease.
Killer Shark Attacks.
Economic Collapse.
Not exactly upbeat topics for a Friday post, huh? So what do all of these topics have in common?
Panic. Short-term hysteria turns a problem into worry. Worry turns to fear. Fear turns to, well more panic.
By now I’m sure all of you have heard the media panic about swine flu. Notice I said “media panic”, because there’s not a massive epidemic of swine flu yet. How bad is the hysteria? I read reports yesterday that China and Russia have banned imports of pork products from the United States and Mexico even though swine flu isn’t spread through meat. People in Egypt are killing entire herds of pigs over the fear (are groups of pigs considered herds? flocks? I don’t know).
Is there an actual threat? Sure. We should all take reasonable precautions to protect ourselves and our families. Is it yet at the level that the media makes it out to be? No.
It seems like every so often the world has to go through a good panic. Some issue pops up, the media grabs it, and half-truths are spread. After a few weeks the problem goes away and we move on to the next topic of conversation. Not convinced? Consider these examples:
Half truth: Mad Cow disease was a threat to our nations meat supply
Reality: There have only been two confirmed cases of mad cow disease ever in the United States (FDA)
Half truth: We should be worried about shark attacks while at the beach.
Reality: More people are killed by deer each year than by sharks. (Seth Godin has a humorous take on this)
Half truth: The current recession is reminicient of the Great Depression, when 25% of people were out of work.
Reality: While 47% of people are concerned about losing their jobs, unemployment has risen less than 4% during the current recession.
So, what should we do instead of panicking? Below I’ve outlined some steps I try to take when faced with a potentially chaotic situation.
- Stop and Breath. Step back, take a deep breath, and try to remove some of the emotion surrounding the situation. After clearing your head, you’ll be in a much better position to . . .
- Focus on the Facts. Stop listening to the pundits on the news channels or the gossip at the water cooler and get your information straight from the source. This isn’t always possible, but do your best to cut through the information clutter, then . . .
- Develop your plan of attack. This could be as simple as deciding what common sense precautions you’ll take against the latest sickness going around. It could mean sitting down and working out a “what-if” budget with your spouse to prepare for a possible job loss. The bottom line is don’t sit around and worry. Take some action. Even if the action doesn’t fix the problem, just taking action will prevent worry from overtaking you. And finally . . .
- Don’t become hyper-focused on the problem. Exercise. Go play with your kids. Get out and move. Too many times in the past, when I’ve found myself in the midst of a crisis, I withdraw and don’t want to be around other people. That’s usually a sign I need to get out and move and realize my whole life isn’t defined by one problem.
So, the next time you see me in public, having a good ole panic attack, remind me that I wrote about this one day in 2009. I have trouble following my own advice sometimes.
Photo credit: LunaDiRimmel
