Different Life Crises Have Different Impacts Stress and everyday annoyances are not crises. Situations that interfere with normal activity, inspire feelings of panic or defeat, and bring about deep emotional reactions are crises. A crisis is a “turning point” or a crucial time that will make a difference for better or worse. The Chinese word for “crisis” is made up of two characters – one means despair and the other means opportunity. When a person experiences crisis, there will either be a negative outcome or a positive one. The direction of the outcome depends on a number of factors such as – physical and emotional health of the individual, support fro