Now What? What to Do When Things Fall Apart

Being Well with Forrest Hanson and Dr. Rick Hanson

Life has a way of throwing unexpected curveballs: a sudden job loss, a relationship ending, a health crisis, or losing faith in something. These moments can leave us feeling overwhelmed, lost, and unsure of how to move forward. In this episode, Forrest and Dr. Rick explore a practical framework for navigating life's most challenging transitions. They break down the essential steps for finding your footing when things fall apart: managing the initial emotional impact, steadying yourself, gathering information, working with loss, and taking meaningful action.

You'll learn how to process difficult emotions without getting stuck, ways to evaluate your situation objectively while avoiding common cognitive biases, strategies for decision making under stress, and approaches to building resilience and finding meaning in challenging experiences.

You can watch this episode on YouTube.

Key Topics:

0:00: Introduction

4:55: Four steps to find your footing when things fall apart

7:05: Stabilizing your body, and reestablishing routines

14:45: Slowing down, and confirmation bias

17:30: Emotional first aid, limiting stressors, and rumination

29:45: Identifying what is reliable in your life

32:45: Facing reality, and gathering information

40:00: Processing loss and disappointment

48:00: Making a plan and taking action

52:30: Post-traumatic growth

58:10: Recap

I am now writing on Substack, check out my work there.

Support the Podcast: We're now on Patreon! If you'd like to support the podcast, follow this link.

Sponsors

Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at shopify.com/beingwell.

Trust your gut with Seed’s DS-01 Daily Synbiotic. Go to Seed.com/BEINGWELL and use code 25BEINGWELL to get 25% off your first month.

Transform your health with the ZOE Science & Nutrition podcast. Find it wherever you listen to podcasts.

OneSkin focuses on delivering more than superficial results for your skin. Get started today with 15% off using code BEINGWELL at oneskin.co.

Join over a million people using BetterHelp, the world’s largest online counseling platform. Visit betterhelp.com/beingwell for 10% off your first month!

Connect with the show:

• Subscribe on iTunes
• Follow Forrest on YouTube
• Follow us on Instagram
• Follow Forrest on Instagram
• Follow Rick on Facebook
• Follow Forrest on Facebook
• Visit Forrest's website

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices