Our daily lives can be compared to the four seasons: fall, winter, spring and summer. October starts the fall season, which brings change from preceding months of hot, simmering weather.

Fall is a beautiful time of the year with leaves changing colors, the cool briskness of the mornings, and the clear, colder nights. With all this beauty, we also experience early darkness and time change, indicators of dreariness brought on by overcast days, rain and early cold spells.

The onset of a critical incident has similarities to fall's change associated dreariness and negativity. A critical incident happens, and negativity overwhelms the moment. But like fall's beauty, application of proper attention provides hope for the future. A big obstacle to positive application is the inability to maintain hope and remain positive through our most trying times — our winter.

Fall is the time to harvest crops grown during preceding seasons. A great deal of labor has gone into making sure crops are ready to harvest. In life, preparing for winter's onset, we need to prepare for potential critical incidents.

When life is going well, it is easy to forget about traumatic events. Without preparation, incidents catch us off guard. Weaknesses surface as thoughts of being victimized emerge. "How could this happen to me?" "Why has this happened to me?" These questions are reactive and don't have any productive value.

When a critical incident happens, like the fall season, you must harvest what you have cultivated to this point. You can only manage what is available and ready for harvest. Wishing for something different only wastes valuable time and energy.

An important fact about fall is change occurs. Along with positivity and beauty, there are negatives and ugliness. The latter move us toward depressing aspects of life. For example, leaves change, drop from the trees, transformed from beauty to lifeless, baron nakedness.

Winter has arrived. Following a critical incident, it is not uncommon to slide into a pit of despair and depression. Winter exacerbates the challenge by putting life on hold for a period of time. Although there are bright, warmer times, winter adds prolonged hardships that are trying and stressful.

The winter of a critical incident follows the impact of the event. Once you've lived through the event, expectations are for you to pull life back together and become productive. But it is also when you least want to do anything except "stay inside, cuddled up by a fire."

A critical incident can cause you to withdraw and focus internally. If your focus is on the past — for example, "I wish this hadn't happened" — you can become debilitated. Cuddled up close to the fire, protected by the warmth and enclosure of your home and blankets, the last thing you want to do is face the reality of freezing cold.

After a critical incident, you must become aware of your winter and its potential impact. Depression is associated with the winter season. It is important to battle withdrawal and the urge to escape. By not facing winter, you only prolong the pain, thus delaying your acceptance of spring.

Dealing productively with winter prepares you for spring. Spring reveals new life and flourishing buds of newness. Following an incident, spring helps you develop new life strategies, allowing you to continue progressing with life. Once you start, associating with newness is invigorating. Spring is the time to take advantage of opportunities.

Once up and running again, don't let yourself become complacent. Summer is your next season. Providing a climate for growth, it also sends perils of potential destruction. It brings storms, heat and drought. Summer can be precarious, and is not a time to let down your guard.

Recovering after a critical incident, summer is the time for protection and attention to growth. New growth requires nurturing. Do not be too zealous or overprotective. Provide room for growth and experience the opportunities available. Nurture new relationships and experiences. Let growth takes its natural course. Support and protect your growth, as it provides for a bountiful harvest in the fall.

Critical incidents are as unpredictable as Mother Nature's events. At times we see them coming, and other times they happen suddenly and unexpectedly. Learn to manage critical incidents by preparing for life changes.

The seasons of life will occur. Use them and understand your needs as you continue to develop.