The last eighteen months went completely differently than any of us planned. Life in permanent emergency mode. We knew things couldn’t keep running smoothly forever. But who thought it would happen like this?
Could we have prepared? Sure, financial buffers help. That’s an obvious lesson you can take immediately. More money in the bank makes financially tough times easier. No argument there.
But what about emotionally? The next catastrophe is definitely coming. Maybe this time it’s more personal, closer to home? You get sick, tragedy strikes your immediate family, a parent develops dementia or—worse—one of your children dies. Maybe your partner?
I’m not trying to paint everything black. That’s not the point here. You can prepare financially, save money, buy insurance. But when the ground suddenly shifts beneath your feet, you need to be anchored—with yourself and with important people around you.
When we tumble into chaos, we fall back on the routines we’ve been practising daily up to that point. How was that for you? A fall into the abyss, or did someone or something catch you?
Some find strength in prayer, others anchor themselves in meditation, yoga, slow walks through the forest, deep conversations with trusted people. Whatever it is, you can’t build any of this during the chaos. Everything’s shaking then and you’re in survival mode.
Now hopefully we’re all finding our way back. And now is also the time to build a solid financial and emotional foundation you can rely on in the next crisis. So that this time you won’t get tossed around by the whirlwind, but can sit calmly in the eye of the hurricane and make clear decisions—for situations you couldn’t have imagined even in your darkest pessimism.
What’s your fallback option?
The German original lives at reinergaertner.de, my blog since before most of the internet existed (1997). Translation: AI. Quality control: me, squinting. Apologies in advance.