According to Dr. John DeFrain of the University of Nebraska, there are 9 components to effective management of stress and crisis, including:

 

1. Sharing Feelings. In difficult times, it is essential that families and couples know how everyone feels about the situation. For without awareness of the feelings and thoughts of and how the event is really affecting one another , finding a solution to it would be very difficult. Also, miscommunication may arise. Although, you should understand that expressing feelings can be very difficult for many people as human beings tend to hide their feelings from each other. Give them the time they need and don’t pressure them to open up, but  try to take it easy and make a little step at a time. 

2. Understanding each other. No one has the ability to read minds, the only way to avoid misunderstandings with one another is to talk and listen carefully to one another in order to fully understand how the others are feeling to find the appropriate solution.

3. Helping each other. Strong families are good at helping. Those who are too independent sometimes resist help. Truthfully, it is not a burden to be dependent on one another. One is allowed to co-depend and unite as a family to help get through these difficult times together.

4. Patience with each other. With everything adapting to the online format, the world is getting busier. The speed of life can be overwhelming at times so it's important to slow down and relax once in a while to help unwind from the chaos that is in the world. 

5. Forgiving each other. Everybody makes mistakes. Sometimes we hurt each other without even knowing it. This is why sharing our feelings with one another, and understanding each other's perspectives allows us to be more forgiving towards one another.

6. Choosing to be happy. Happiness is a choice, an act of taking control of our emotions and our lives. By choosing to be happy we thus regulate our emotions and manage to live our lives with happiness surrounding the whole family

7. Reaching out to others. There is no shame in reaching out to others when things get too hard to handle. Sometimes, third parties are needed in order to develop as a family. Strong families benefit from strong communities. 

8. Growing through the crisis together rather than apart. Stressors can be the greatest factor in tearing a family apart. However, it can be a greater opportunity to grow together as a family. People react to the same stressor differently, this is why understanding each other's perspective can help in getting through it together.

9. Adaptability. Strong families are capable of finding ways to adapt and change in order to meet the crisis head-on rather than sweeping it under the rug.