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You still have your experience, skills, intuition and strength, but chronic tension makes it increasingly difficult to draw on them. Your body shifts into survival mode, and its main priority becomes simply getting you through another day.

Survival mode creates tunnel vision. We focus on the problem, the perceived threat and whatever demands an immediate response. We lose sight of the bigger picture and find it harder to recognise possibilities and solutions. Sometimes, we can no longer imagine a future or believe that life could ever be different.

This is an especially difficult period—not only because of the impact prolonged stress can have on our mental and physical health, but also because of the way it affects our decision-making. When we are exhausted, overwhelmed and acting from a place of fear, our choices are often driven not by what we truly want, but by the need to relieve the tension as quickly as possible.

You Are Not Yourself

In this state, we also become more vulnerable to outside influence. In search of relief, closeness and a sense of safety, we may allow situations into our lives that we would normally find unacceptable. We may enter destructive relationships, tolerate behaviour that harms us or make decisions we later regret.

This is the mechanism behind the saying, “A drowning person will clutch at a straw.” It is not because we suddenly lose our ability to think rationally. When we are severely overwhelmed, survival and even a momentary sense of relief become our most urgent priorities. A person who is suffering needs, above all, for the suffering to stop.

Sometimes, people who consciously or unconsciously seek to take advantage of another person’s vulnerability appear precisely when that person is at their most defenceless. It is as though they instinctively sense the moment when someone lacks strength, confidence and clarity of thought. This is why emotional support alone is not enough during a crisis. We also need an objective perspective—someone who can help us see the situation more broadly and avoid making important decisions from a place of pain.

Suffering Does Not Make Us Stronger

People often say, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” but this is not always true. If we go through a difficult period without adequate support, a safe space for reflection or an opportunity to make sense of what is happening, a crisis can weaken us. It can undermine our self-trust, diminish our sense of self-worth and erode the belief that we have any influence over our own lives.

It is not suffering itself that makes us stronger. What strengthens us is the way we move through a difficult experience and what we are able to build from it.

Crisis is also a natural part of adult life. It emerges when our existing way of functioning no longer works—when old solutions are no longer sufficient, but new ones have yet to appear. It is a moment of suspension between who we once were and who we may become.

Revolution Instead of Small Steps

A crisis can mark a new beginning. It often forces us to reset. It stops us in our tracks and compels us to ask the questions we may previously have avoided: Is the life I am living truly my own? Are my decisions aligned with my values? Is the direction I am taking still right for me?

Sometimes, gradual evolution through small steps is not enough. Sometimes, what we need is a revolution—a change not only in what we do, but also in how we think about ourselves, our capabilities and our future. A crisis can become a turning point and the beginning of what might be called a quantum leap in life: a metaphorical transition to an entirely new level.

Inevitable Change

Every crisis involves a form of grief. Something that once existed is coming to an end: a relationship, a stage in our career, a particular way of life or an imagined future. Sometimes, we must also say goodbye to a former version of ourselves—the one who spent years trying to cope, meet other people’s expectations or live according to patterns that no longer serve us.

For something new to emerge, something old must come to an end. We have to descend one mountain before we can begin climbing the next.

Coaching as Support Through Change

It is precisely during this transition that I support people who have reached a turning point in their personal or professional lives. I help them regain clarity, organise their thoughts and view their situation from a greater distance. I combine coaching with behavioural and communication analysis to develop a deeper understanding of their needs, strengths, ways of functioning and potential for growth.

If you are currently at such a turning point, I invite you to take this journey with me.

The content published on Wzajemnie.com is for educational and informational purposes only. It does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and it is not a substitute for individual consultation with a qualified healthcare or mental health professional. If you are struggling with your mental health, emotional wellbeing, or physical symptoms, please seek appropriate professional support. In urgent or emergency situations, contact your local emergency services immediately.

Author: mgr Patrycja Krześniak

Coach, Behavioral profiler, Art Broker

I support individuals who feel stuck in repetitive patterns — in relationships, at work, in decision-making and communication. As a coach and behavioural profiler, I help you identify what triggers your reactions, what habits emerge under pressure and where you lose influence — and then translate that into a concrete change plan. You receive clear collaboration frameworks, practical tools and a structured process that helps you move from endless analysis to effective action.

I work primarily Online.

In person: Warsaw

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