5 Steps to Survival

What if a digital service fails? What happens in your head if you can’t access a digital service? Let’s have a look at that.

When talking to colleagues and friends, we always find common ground – common interests, common knowledge, and experiences. It’s best to share positive stories in good humor, but life isn’t always a whirlwind. Sometimes we experience frightening, distressing events.

This was the case recently when a friend told me she felt the world conspired against her.

In the morning, when he was due to start work on a busy day, he couldn’t access their ERP system. And when he realized the situation, all hell broke loose – phone calls, scrambling to get on with his daily tasks.

It’s a familiar set-up for all of us. But what is going on inside us? As much as we might think that each person’s processing of such an event differs, it is crucial to see a universal psychological pattern behind it.

And at the heart of this pattern is the loss of something.

Sticking with the example above, my friend went through the following stages.

The first phase was clearly denial.

After realizing the situation, one’s visceral response is denial – “This can’t be true!”. In this phase, he was still trying – rebooting his computer, reconnecting to the internet, and doing his best to avoid the inevitable.

Phase two (anger): He became angry due to the failed attempts to avert it. “Why is this happening to me? Why is this happening today?”

Bargaining was the way out of this state. “I’ll do anything, but not this…” “Couldn’t it be just a tiny problem, and if we start something again, it will work?” he thought in the third phase.

From here on, events accelerated.

The sadness of the fourth phase soon faded away and was replaced by the fifth and final phase, resignation, which in this case, was also a relief.

The intense emotional reactions disappeared and were replaced by rationality. Accordingly, my friend decided not to waste more time, to get in the car and drive to the company office. The following events showed that it was the best thing he could have done. On arrival at the office, he went straight to his colleague, who fixed the problem quickly, giving my friend access to the company’s ERP system.

Why is this important?

Everyone experiences loss – it’s no coincidence that psychologists are keen to research the field.

And knowing the patterns they identify and outline ultimately helps us. If we are aware of the situation and recognize the pattern, we will know what to expect. We will then be in full possession of the ability to decide whether our next decisions are rational or emotional. This way, we kill two birds with one stone: we process our emotions in the right way, which in turn helps us get back on track and into the rhythm of the day.

If we don’t achieve the necessary and familiar techniques, we’ll have to struggle with these steps every time. Don’t make decisions in a bad emotional state.

The good news is that we can provide a secure backup in these situations.

András Biró – CEO | DevZone

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