When An Earthquake Hits Paradise!

So there I was sitting on the beach taking pictures of the Caribbean Sea (and my feet) and enjoying the perfect day in Cancun, Mexico. It was a great start to the day with warm weather, crystal clear water and friendly people all around. What more could I ask for on a day like this one?

I was supposed to be taking a break from email and social media, but I had my phone with me to take pictures, so the temptation to look online at the news was super tempting to me so I did it.

What i saw scared the living daylights out of me! There was an earthquake north of Jamaica and subsequently a tsunami warning was put out which included the Caribbean Sea which was only a couple of feet away from me at this time. The news indicated that shaking was felt in Cancun but I did not feel anything. My mind started racing as I thought about the tsunami which hit Japan in the past along with its destruction of the coastline there.

I began to wonder if I should go inland but was not sure if I had enough time, then I wondered if the resort could withstand the pounding of the impending tsunami, then I wondered who would warn all the people who seemed to be oblivious to the earthquake and tsunami warning. My mind was racing with this disaster scenario so I decided my best course of action was to go to my room upstairs away from the beach.

When I got to my room, I decided to go on the balcony to look at the sea to determine if there were any changes to the sea level. (picture below).

Once the tsunami warning was lifted, I was relieved but then several things dawned on me at once including the fact that no one else there seemed worried like I was at that time. Was I smarter than they were or was I over-reacting to something they experienced before and were prepared for whatever occurred? If definitely turned out to be the latter, I was definitely over-reacting.

This experience made me think of how we react in our lives when things seem to be going perfect and something occurs out of the blue which destroys our tranquility. It could be something personal or professional that disrupts our lives and sends us into a panic. It could be something new to us or it could be something that occurs frequently but we are internally programmed to think of it as a catastrophe.

As I pondered, I realized that there were three concepts that can help when an earthquake hits paradise or when we may be moving along fine and something rocks our world. These concepts include:

Research - Depending on the situation and if possible, conduct research on it. I am not talking about a thesis or dissertation here, but attempt to gather information in order to gain situational awareness of what is going on. Be clear on what is actually happening and do not postulate in your mind or create false facts about the event.

For me, I knew there was an earthquake north of Jamaica and there was a tsunami warning that was issued by the government. Like many things we encounter, the main occurrence has nothing to do with us but we are worried about the potential ripple effects of the main event. These ripple effects often are of such low occurrence but we feed them and let them grow in our heads which allows then to grow to an unrealistic magnitude.

Analyze - Once you have a complete, accurate understanding of the event, determine its impact on you. Is it really something bad or did you create a negative or bad situation based on incorrect facts? Based on your research, what is actually occurring and how will it impact you?

For me, I scanned the web for information to see what was going on in terms of the earthquake and subsequent tsunami warning. I searched for local information and could not find anything but decided to rely on those around me given that they knew more than I did in this situation. They were completely relaxed and free of worry which calmed me. Sometimes you need to speak with those more knowledgeable than you about a given situation to determine its true magnitude and whether or not it will impact you.

Action - Based on your research and analysis, take action. Sometimes the action you take should be to remain still and let the situation resolve itself because you have no control. Other times you may need to do additional research. Then there will be times for you to get up and move. The key here is to identify which action you should take based on your research and analysis of the situation.

For me, after I calmed down I thought to myself I would shelter in place if anything would occur because that would be the safest - often we flee from situations rather than riding out the proverbial storm - we seek greener pastures when the one we are currently in is perfectly fine, it just may be a little dirty or dusty but is otherwise fine.

For me and my tsunami scare, I actually performed all of the above but I allowed myself to be driven by fear and was not fully focused because of it. I immediately catastrophized everything because I pulled all the images I had in my mind of tsunami's into the forefront of my thinking.

That leads me to my final point, you have to be careful of the mental state you allow yourself to be in during your "earthquake". Your feelings, emotions and even thoughts can sometimes lead you to become irrational or not think clearly and objectively during a given situation.

It's a fine balance between when you pull from past experiences and when you do not. However you have to train your mind to stay in the present which leads you to ascertain those facts that are specific for a particular moment (as you can tell, I am still working on this one given my response and behavior above).

Well, needless to say I survived everything along with learning and remembering some important points regarding what to do when an earthquake hits paradise. So after all this occurred I headed back to the beach and started thinking that we have to be careful not to let our thoughts run rampart and create doomsday scenarios within our heads. It’s important to be prepared, but you have to think it through situations in a logical manner to prevent brewing unwarranted internal anxiety.

As I was thinking about this and starting to feel the warmth of the sun my solitude was broken again, this time it was the beach server asking if I wanted anything. I ordered a Mojito and a Bacon Cheeseburger because I’m not counting calories today or worrying anymore about tsunamis. I decided to continue to quiet my mind and enjoy this day!

Dave