Sooner or later, we all face crises in life. Whether we’re married, single, widowed, young, or old, crises are part of human existence. Rather than external problems, crises often originate within us.

We often mistake a marital or professional crisis for an environmental problem, when in reality it’s a life stage in which we don’t feel fulfilled. At 40 or 50, for example, it’s common to rethink life: work may not be fulfilling, your relationship isn’t the ideal you dreamed of, and you become afraid of making final decisions.

But crises are not an enemy. They are often a call to give more of ourselves, to love better, to live more consistently with our values. The difficult thing is that, instead of facing them, many people choose to flee: they break up marriages, abandon projects, or take refuge in phrases like  “I have the right to be happy.” However, the happiness they seek rarely arrives; on the contrary, it often leaves emptiness and pain, especially in children.

The mistake is blaming marriage, family, or work. The root is within:  a lack of commitment, love, and sacrifice. Crises are moments of clarity that make us see that life isn’t perfect or easy, that we have to fight it and learn to get back on track.

Overcoming a crisis doesn’t mean running away, but rather making deeper commitments. To achieve this, the first step may be to ask for help, to unburden yourself to someone who understands, who lovingly demands, and who accompanies you in the struggle. What doesn’t help is seeking superficial emotions—drugs, sex, running away—but rather to delve deeper into the true loves you already have.

Ultimately, crises are a reminder of our fragility and humanity. We are not invincible, and it’s okay to acknowledge that. The solution lies not in imagining that another relationship or a different life would have been better, but in making choices of love, not of escape.

Life will always demand more of us. And as long as there’s time, there’s always the opportunity to start over.