Staying Calm in the Midst of Stress and Chaos.

Staying Calm in the Midst of Stress and Chaos.

Knowing how to stay calm is a very important skill. However, this skill tends to deteriorate under stressful or distracting conditions. Staying calm under extreme pressure is much more challenging than staying calm under moderate conditions.

Imagine being able to be calm and peaceful at all times. How would that change your life? A greater ability to manage one’s emotions is invaluable! When we are calm and focused, we are able to make better decisions and come to the best solution available.

Here are some suggestions to help keep calm under pressure:

1. Start your day being calm and make every effort to stay that way. A calming morning ritual, performed religiously, will get your mind and body in the proper state. Then the only real task is staying that way throughout the day.

A good morning often results in a good day, just like a good Monday often results in a good week.

2. Monitor yourself. Continuously monitor your reactions to stressful events. How do you feel physically? What thoughts do you have? Do you use positive self-talk? Notice everything that has changed.

3. Bring yourself back to your calm state. If your self-talk has become negative, take control and stop it. Turn it around and make it positive. If your heart is beating faster, take slow, deep breaths and relax. Think positive thoughts and focus on solutions. Take action and avoid worrying.

4. Remember that it’s not all about you. Avoid assuming that a negative event says anything about you. If someone gets stroppy with you, it might just be a symptom of their own trouble at home. People do things for lots of reasons that don’t involve you. It is common to take things personally, but it’s often inaccurate.

5. Find some healthy coping habits. Many of us shop, drink or eat when we’re stressed. These habits can lead to overspending and being unhealthy which can add to stress. Develop some new habits that are good for you. Yoga, meditation and exercise are just a few suggestions, take some time to explore your healthy habits. Solution Focused Hypnotherapy can help you to learn techniques for staying calm and to identify further resources for coping.

6. Eliminate clutter from your environment. This includes all types of clutter, including excessive noise and other distractions.

Turn off your social media and email notifications. Keep your work areas clear of clutter. You will notice you feel calmer and less stressed.

7. Get enough sleep. It is so much easier to remain calm when you have had 7 hours of sleep rather than only 4. Sleep helps to reduce the stress in your mind and body. Being well-rested also allows you to handle stressful situations better.

Even if you are super busy, you will usually get more done if you maintain your normal sleep schedule.

8. Ask yourself questions. Questions can determine our focus and influence our actions.

Is this really going to make a difference? Does it matter? Is the other person overreacting? Am I overreacting? Am I stressed about the past, present, or future? The past is over, and the future hasn’t arrived yet, so focus on the present moment.

What can I do to turn this situation around? Is there an outcome that will make everyone happy?

9. Take a break. If you are unable to remain calm, give yourself a few minutes to take a breather. Some time alone can make a positive difference.

Staying calm in challenging situations can be difficult, it is a learnable skill.

During a Solution Focused Hypnotherapy session we work to help you identify your coping skills and resources and develop new ones, helping you gain the skills to cope with any situation in a calm and resourceful manner. If you would like to discuss this further please do not hesitate to get in touch. Take care. :)