Are you struggling to deal with your emotions after a crisis? Going through any crisis can trigger a wide range of emotions. While it’s totally normal, dealing with these emotional effects can be extremely difficult.
Here, we’ll look at which emotions are most commonly triggered by a crisis. Understanding how a crisis impacts emotions can help you to identify and combat them if they occur.
What are the common emotions triggered by a crisis?
The primary emotions that can be triggered by a crisis include:
- Fear
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Anger
- Guilt
There are lots of other emotions that can be triggered by a crisis, but the above are some of the most common. Fear is an immensely powerful emotion that can be difficult to deal with. During times of uncertainty, it’s easy to let fear creep in.
Anxiety and symptoms of depression are also common. For those who already experience anxiety, the feelings can deepen in a crisis. You may find yourself dealing with more generalized anxiety and, in severe cases, suffer anxiety attacks. There may be days when depression takes over, making you feel unable to even get out of bed in the morning.
Anger can also play a role. You may become angry at the situation and your lack of control. If the crisis has led to a loss of human life, you may also feel guilty that you survived, and others didn’t.
These are just some of the emotions you can experience when you’re dealing with a crisis. For those who suffer from PTSD, it can also cause the symptoms of the condition to worsen. Or, you may develop PTSD if you are in the middle of a crisis.
It’s essential to understand how your emotions are impacted during a time of crisis. That way, you’ll be able to recognize the signs and focus on ways to avoid emotional triggers.
Recognizing the signs of emotional distress
In order to avoid letting emotional distress control your life during a crisis, it’s important to recognize the signs. While most emotional responses during a crisis are temporary, in some cases, they can last months and drastically impact your life. So, what are the signs of emotional distress in a crisis?
You may find that you are eating more or less than usual. Your sleep pattern will also be disrupted. You may find it harder to fall asleep, or you may have trouble staying asleep. This leads to excessive tiredness throughout the day.
You may also find that you distance yourself from others and have very little energy. Sometimes, the signs are physical, too, such as experiencing aches and pains such as headaches.
It’s also common to lose interest in the things you usually enjoy. You could suffer bursts of crying and mood swings. All of these are signs of emotional distress.
How different types of crisis impact emotions
A crisis is often viewed as a sudden disaster. This could include a car accident, natural disaster, or a virus pandemic. However, there are different types of crises you can experience, and not all of them are sudden disasters.
A developmental crisis can occur at any time during your development. It could be an incident that happens at school or a case of mistreatment by a caregiver.
A crisis caused by a sudden disaster is known as a situational crisis. Then finally, there’s the existential crisis, which occurs due to inner conflicts. A midlife crisis is a great example here. It is caused by existential anxiety.
These are the most common emotions triggered by a crisis. Often, it is the emotional impact that is the most difficult to deal with. However, understanding your emotions during a crisis can really help to identify ways to handle them.
