It’s easy to keep it together when life is hunky dory, everything is moving along smoothly and everyone is behaving the way you prefer it to. However, maintaining your composure becomes exceedingly more difficult when pressure rises and the people around you decide to not play by the rules.
Is it possible to keep your cool, when life gets out of control and it feels like you are about to lose your sanity?
We know that we live in a stressful, extremely fast-paced world and while we get reminded at every possibility that too much stress and tension can lead to several serious illnesses, finding ways to deal with excessive stress levels can be challenging. Many quickly reach for anti-anxiety drugs to help keep their cool instead of trying to create balance and composure through more natural ways like yoga, working out and mindfulness practices.
If you have trouble keeping your cool in challenging situations, we have rounded up our TOP 10 tips to maintain your composure when things get rough.
#1 Don’t Take Things Personally
When things don’t go your way, don’t take it personally. In life and business circumstances and decisions don’t always play out logically, however it is detrimental to remain calm and not get defensive or justify your thoughts and actions. This can be very difficult if you take things personally. Don’t allow the noise, politics and social pressure suffocate your thinking and behavior and remember that other people’s choices and actions aren’t about you.
#2 Stop the Inflow of Emotions
While this is easier said than done, eliminate the emotional influence from the situation and only deal with the facts. Emotions have the ability to distort the truth and blur our rational thinking. Keep in mind, emotional reactions are almost never successful. Take a moment to analyze the situation rationally. Avoid rash outbursts at all costs and be aware that you are not the only one dealing with emotions connected to the situation. The other people involved may react emotionally, don’t let that impact you.
#3 Manage Your Ego
Your mindset is the most common source of anxiety. When we overanalyze things we put ourselves under unnecessary pressure. Oftentimes this happens when we feel like our reputation is at stake or a project is on the line and when we put this internal strain on ourselves, we can easily lose our cool when something goes wrong or deviates from the perfect picture we’ve created in our mind. If you don’t make the situation about yourself, let go of the ego and approach the situation with an attitude of helpfulness, the undue pressure will disappear and you will be able to maintain your composure.
#4 Physically Relax
Our bodies and minds are deeply interconnected so one of the most important steps in keeping your cool in a stressful situation is to force your body into a state of calm. We have to deal with worry, stress and panic on a physiological level first, before we can find peace of mind. Just think about it, when you are anxious, your heart rate goes up, your breathing becomes fast and shallow, your hands start to sweat and your gut is in knots. So before you try to calm your mind, calm your body. Take a few deep, slow, rhythmic breaths, maybe adopt the technique of breathing in for the count of six, holding the breath for the count of six, exhaling for the count of six and staying empty for the count of six. At the same time, do some simple stretches to release tension in your muscles and you will be able to maintain your composure in any stressful situation.
#5 Keep a Positive Mental Attitude
If you have a negative attitude about a challenging situation it’s easy for the problems to snowball out of control and you will lose your cool. Flip the switch and look for the opportunities to learn from the challenges and adopt a positive mindset. Know that you can handle whatever life throws at you and this positive mental attitude will make it much easier for you to keep your cool.
#6 Be Accountable
In a challenging situation be fully committed to resolving the situation at hand and take responsibility for your part in it. Be accountable for the decisions and actions you make. When you are accountable for your thoughts and actions, you can start to neutralize the problem, which hits the pause button and gives everybody the chance to regroup and maintain their composure.
#7 Avoid Caffeine
When you are stressed out and have a million things on your plate, the last thing you need is too much caffeine in your system. Don’t reach for coffee or an energy drink, this will only further stimulate the areas of your brain that are already causing you to be stressed out and overwhelmed in the first place. Opt for water or tea instead and don’t feed the anxious energy.
#8 Reframe the Situation
Try to see the difficult situation differently and view the problems from all sides. Allow new ways of thinking and reframe the situation. Is it really that bad? Will it matter in a year from now? What happens if you can’t solve the problem right this very second? You will realize that a challenging situation is not the end of the world, but rather a great opportunity to step outside your comfort zone and learn and grow.
#9 Get Some Sleep
A tired mind usually isn’t able to think clearly and it can be extremely difficult to keep your cool when you are living in a mental fog. However, if you are well rested and have a clear and focused mind, it is much easier to find solutions to stressful or difficult situations and it will be much easier to keep your cool, no matter how challenging the situation may be.
#10 Walk Away
When you feel like a situation is getting completely out of control, the best way to maintain your composure and keep your cool may be to take a break before dealing with it. Remove yourself from the situation and allow yourself to take a breath to see the situation in a much more calm and collected manner. If you can calm your nerves, it is much more likely you will come to a positive solution for the problem. Keep in mind, we are not telling you to avoid the issue, but to take a moment for yourself to calm down before dealing with the situation as the dignified person that you truly are.
If we let stress take over and panic settle in, we allow our ability to think and act to be inhibited. Learning how to control our emotions, feelings, body and mind is the only solution to keep our cool when the going gets tough. The next time you have to deal with unexpected difficulties, follow our simple, yet highly effective tips and you will be able to maintain your composure and get through the situation without losing your cool.
KEEP IT TOGETHER WHEN PRESSURE MOUNTS
Joschi & Monika
#BoldNaked
Pingback: Nudie News