How to become stronger when you are experiencing a tough situation
“Then
imitate the action of the tiger; stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood” –
Shakespeare
Whether
we’re at work or at home facing a difficult situation, stress can come upon us
in an instance.
It
can be easy to lose control and composure when we’re facing chaos because we
get emotional and find ourselves overreacting. Often it is triggered by a
sensation that we are helpless or do not have control of a given situation.
I
have often lost my temper and regretted it an hour later after.
Or
in a work conversation where I felt stiff in my neck and back because of some
unnerving news or development, where I felt as though I spoke irrationally.
No
matter how smart we are, it can be difficult to stay calm in the midst of
chaos, especially these days when we feel that moment is threatening our
livelihood.
Uncertainty
in the workplace to the unpredictability of life around us, any small
occurrence can trigger stress, anxiety or tension making us behave
inappropriately.
Over
the last months in my journey of learning to deal with uncertainty, I have
learned to regain my composure more quickly especially in stressful situations.
I re-learned how to stay calm so that I don’t lose my temper or act out
emotionally.
Here
are three tips on how to stay calm:
1.
Breathe
Sitting
behind a computer slouched over with our face glaring at the screen is not a
good way to be productive and energised. In fact whether we’re working in an
office setting or looking at our devices on the go, the fact is that more of us
are hunched over than ever before.
And
the more our shoulders hunch over, the less oxygen gets into our lungs, thereby
depleting our brain of much needed nourishment in blood flow.
Every
once in a while during the day, push away from the table, stand up, broaden the
shoulders and take 7 deep breaths. Focus on getting as much into your lungs as
possible. Stretch back the shoulders every time you inhale filling up the
lungs. Breathe deeply from the stomach rather than the lungs, using the nose to
inhale in order to bring in the vitality of life.
Proper
breathing can elevate our mood, give us mental clarity, reduce our stress and
give us a positive feeling of relaxation and control. Learning to stay calm means
learning to change our breathing, going from unconscious shallow breaths to
controlling the deep breaths.
Usually
when I feel stress, my body tells me by giving me neck aches and clouding my
mind with worrisome thoughts. Whether I’m at work or dealing with some personal
issues, deep breathing has been able to help me become more calm and relaxed
despite the stressful situation.
While
there are lots of videos out there for learning how to breathe, I have also found
hypnosis helping me quiet a lot to deal with my anxieties.
Also,
if you haven’t been bitten by the yoga bug, it is worth considering. I’ve been
practicing yoga for a short while now and what it does is to teach us how to
use the breath optimally through slow movement of the body.
2.
Work on the posture
Standing
tall with our shoulders straight back helps us to stay calm in the midst of the
chaos and feel strong. A large part of the reason I believe fixing our
posture helps us to stay calm is that it allows sufficient oxygen to the lungs
and blood flow to the brain and organs.
Yes,
it’s about changing our physiology as much as our psychology. Remember the ballet dancer without posture they could not dance properly and facing the everyday challenge of dancing better and better...
I
have a bad habit of slouching that has stuck with me from when I was a kid. So
I have to remind myself consciously to walk straight and stand as if there’s a
string pulling my head up.
Plenty
of studies indicate that there are numerous benefits of what they call an
expansive posture which translates to reduced stress and more confidence.
If
you’re sitting and facing a hostile and stressful situation, get up and
straighten your back. Go to the wall and put your back into it aligning
yourself vertically. Interrupting the physical pattern of posture can help stay
calm.
During
times of change and uncertainty in our jobs and in our lives, we often allow
our bodies to be pulled down as if we’re carrying the weight of the world upon
our fragile shoulders.
Act
energetic, confident and strong and you will become energetic, confident and
strong.
3.
Ground yourself
Touch
the table, take a sip of water, go for a walk outside and look up at the sun
and sky. Breathe in the air and know that this moment in chaos will be behind
you soon enough. Things are never as bad as they seem in that moment.
We
get overwhelmed sometimes because we feel as though the situation in front of
us is unbearable and never going to end. That we’re stuck in between a rock and
a hard place.
In
that very moment it can feel like imminent doom but what I have learned is that
life goes on. We don’t fall off a cliff after climbing the mountain. We don’t drown when we jump in the water. We swim, soar and grow.
All
of the stressful moments that I have experienced over the years don’t seem so
bad when I looked back and all that stress I had felt was a waste.
By
grounding ourselves to a piece of wood made by trees that have been around for
hundreds of years, taking a sip of water that comes from the earth and sky
bringing rejuvenation to our bodies and looking at the sky and sun which have
existed for billions of years, we are reminded that this moment is but a speck in
the history of time and like most periods of difficult events, this too shall
pass.
Smile
even if you have to fake it to train the mind and say, “Whatever chaos comes my way, I will not sway”.
Being strong and calm in chaos requires us to turn to thoughts that reinforce a
strong psychology.
I
believe in that in our times of profound change and uncertainty, while no one
can control what chaos comes upon them, what we can control is how we handle
it. Staying calm requires us to be aware of our breath, our posture and most
importantly to shift our thoughts to regain control of the most important thing
– our mind.
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