coping with crisis.docVIP

UNIT 3Text APRE-READING TASKExercise 1Before reading the passage, think about the question.What would you feel in times of crisis? Try to use some of the words given to describe your feeling when you are facing a crisis.depressed troubledanxious hopelessdetermined challengingconfident cheerfulstrong discouragedhopeful courageousNow read the passage and try to find out what the author thinks we should do in the face of a crisis.Coping with Crisis1 If I were asked to give what I consider the single most useful bit of advice for all humanity, it would be this: Expect trouble as an inevitable part of life and, when it comes, hold your head high, look it squarely in the eye and say, I will be bigger than you. You cannot defeat me. Then repeat to yourself the most comforting of all words, This too shall pass.2 To forgive oneself in the face of a devastating experience is perhaps the most difficult of lifes challenges. Most of us find it much easier to forgive others.3 In many instances we cant control what happens to us, but we can control our reactions to what happens to us. We can stay down for the count and be carried out of the ring, or we can pull ourselves back to our feet. If we are victimized by others, we must refuse to give them the power to break our spirit, make us physically ill, perhaps even shorten our lives. Most doctors will tell you that worry, anxiety, tension and anger can make you sicker than a virus.4 The expression nervous breakdown suggests that nerves have broken down, but organically the nerves are healthy. The problem is purely emotional. A doctor on the staff of the Mayo Clinic has said the majority of patients in hospital beds today are there because of illnesses that were psycho-generated. This means the sickness was triggered by an unresolved problem.5 I believe in blind faith. I have known people who have suffered deep personal tragedies, and this faith has helped them. But I also believe in the efficacy of positive