What To Do When Your Story Dips
In the last week, I’ve seen so many reports of severe rain and flooding. It has brought back a whirlwind of memories from our past experiences. Thankfully, I’ve learned how to cope with it pretty well at this point and I wrote about it here.
However, I find myself thinking about so many who are in the middle of a mess right now.
It’s one thing to talk about it after the fact; it’s another to be living it in the present.
How do we handle the dips - or crisis moments - in our stories?
Maybe you’ve been there before. Maybe you’re in a dip as you read this.
When our story dips, it’s easy for panic to cloud the view of any pathway up and out.
So what do we do?
Here are 3 keys to surviving story dips:
Identify Thought Patterns
You don’t have to be a psychologist to start learning about the rhythms of your thought life. And what better time to start exploring then when your thoughts are amplified? The reason identifying our patterns is so important is because once we begin to understand how we think, we will have a healthier approach to dealing with negative thoughts (which only produce more negative feelings).
Our negative thoughts and emotions have potential to spiral our stories downward, deeper into the dip. But as we become more aware of when, how, and why they come - we can focus on what triggers them. As the next wave comes, we can be better prepared for it.
Identifying our thought patterns also helps us reason with facts in response to our feelings.
This process will strengthen our ability to respond quickly and rightly in the next dip.
Start here —> What kind of thinker are you?
Ask yourself these questions:
Do I verbalize my thoughts? If so, when and how often? If not, why not?
Do I think in extremes (best & worst case scenarios)?
Do my thoughts compile quickly and fictionally?
In what moments am I more susceptible to negative thoughts?
In what moments do I need someone with me (physically or audibly)?
2. Write Down Truths
There’s an episode of “the office” where Jim creates a Pros and Cons list for every situation and Michael is losing his mind over it. I’m not telling you to stop in the middle of your crisis to make a pros and cons list. But I am telling you to take a moment, breathe, and write down (type in) an attribute or adjective you’d like your character to be known for.
When you’re ready, add a positive affirmation to that word or those words. (ie: bold; I can be bold).
As you further navigate your crisis, you may surprise yourself with how significant something so simple can be.
Place this or these truths where you can see them. Have them available throughout your day to remind you that this crisis doesn’t define your character.
Try this —> Remember what is and can be true.
Come up with a word or word that you want to describe your character in this chapter.
Write it down:
on a sticky note or card left out where you can see it or…
text yourself or…
set it in as alarm at certain points throughout your day
Share it with a friend or family member you trust.
Refer back to it as often as you feel necessary.
3. Prioritize the Picture
This is what can pull us out of the dip. We need to prioritize the picture we want to summarize this crisis. When we consider photos that get framed on the wall… what would we want this photo to look like? The photo of our story’s dip. Not very many of us would say, “defeat.” But often times that’s how we feel and respond. But what if there was more for our characters than defeat?
You may feel completely overwhelmed or defeated and who am I to tell you that you actually haven’t been at times?! Maybe your crisis has knocked you down and got the better of you. But if you’re still breathing, there’s still blank space ahead of you.
We get to choose the picture we want to look back on in this chapter. And we all can take small steps closer to it in each moment of our days. From our thought patterns to our confidence building habits to our actions that help us climb out of the dip… there’s a picture waiting to be framed.
When we prioritize the right picture, we control the narrative of our crisis.
Your crisis is not you and you are not your crisis.
All good stories experience dips.
Dips are not the end so I want to encourage you to not live as if they are.
How will you respond the next time your story experiences a crisis?