How to keep calm –

How to keep Calm

We live a hectic pace of life and on an almost daily basis we are forced to breathe and count to 10 before taking an inappropriate action.

Many people live under stress because they have to study, work, maintain a home and family, earn enough money to make ends meet, deal with family problems, etc. etc.

There are days when everything seems to go wrong, problems seem to rain down on us and we think “Why me?” This is where we need to keep calm.

But… what do I mean by this?

Keeping calm is to remain calm, calm in any situation. It is maintaining a state of patience, tranquility, serenity, optimism… especially in those situations where we seem to feel more overwhelmed because we seem to be unable to control the situation.

Tension, nervousness and all the negative consequences of not being able to keep calm accumulate in our body and can cause various health problems. Always remember that the body speaks when the mind is silent.

For all of this it is important and at the same time advisable to know how to keep calm in order to better face any situation.

Why is it important to keep calm?

How we are able to act in situations that cause us stress or discomfort is essential.

We all agree that it’s not easy or simple to keep calm when we are nervous or under pressure, so here I will provide you with 10 ways to learn how to keep calm.

When we get angry, our body sends us signals and we notice that our pulse quickens, body temperature rises, we raise the volume of our voices, some muscles start to contract… It is at this moment that we must take into account the following points to maintain calm:

1. Identify warning signs

First of all, you should try to be attentive to the signals that the body sends us in tense and stressful situations. It’s important that you know how to identify how your body reacts in those circumstances in order to learn to stay calm in the following moments.

If you believe you can stop the situation, you will stop the situation and be able to stay calm, a bit like managing anger. If you can control your head, more than half the battle is won.

How to keep calm? Trust yourself and your ability to achieve whatever you set your mind to.

He thinks that “there is no evil that lasts 100 years or a body that can resist it” and that “after the storm there is always calm”. Keep calm and above all don’t panic. Whatever the situation that generates tension, discomfort, concern… it won’t last forever and you have everything you need to overcome it.

Learn to stop negative thinking and forget thoughts like “it’s impossible, I can’t with so much work” as the only thing you will achieve is to increase your stress and make the situation more complicated. Try to see the bright side of things.

2. Breathe and count to 10

“1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10.” Trust me when I tell you that it’s best to take your time counting numbers (up to 10 or up to 100!) until you relax. Have you ever tried to resume an argument after a moment of anger? If yes, you have understood how the correct state of mind determines a better result! This way you avoid saying or doing something you might regret later by calming the nervous system.

How to keep calm? Practice slow and deep breathing when you feel comfortable and calm, practice diaphragmatic breathing so that in complicated situations and when you are nervous, you will be able to do it automatically. Inhale, hold the air for 5 seconds and exhale slowly. Observe how your body stops being tense.

Imagine it’s one of those days where your boss seems to be speaking negatively to you.

Count to 10, breathe slowly and deeply. When you have relaxed, your mind will have cleared and you will be able to see everything from another perspective. You will no longer think “I hate my boss with all my might!” but “Poor little man, even today he will have a good deal of bitter blood!”.

3. Step away from the situation for a moment

When we find ourselves in a situation that causes us discomfort or nervousness and we need to stay calm, a good option is to step away from the situation and try to get some fresh air. If you too manage to take advantage of a few rays of sunshine, it will help you even more to maintain serenity.

Another option, when possible, is washing your face with cold water to slow your heart rate. This will help you calm down.

You can also use objects to release tension such as stress balls. They are balls that adapt to the hand and whose main objective is to relieve our tension by squeezing them. It helps us release the adrenaline that builds up in moments of tension and at the same time improves our mood.

We cannot forget the benefits we can get with music when we are stressed. Fight stress by listening to music.

4. Unplug your brain, think of something else

Have you tried to think of images that relax you? What are the landscapes that most inspire you the sense of peace and tranquility? Maybe if you think about the sea, the sound of the waves, the breeze that comes towards you, it will be easier for you to keep calm.

Try to think of anything other than the problem, you have a thousand options: think about your next vacation, connect to the internet, visualize a landscape, start reading that book you like so much, try to remember that funny situation you experienced recent.

Every person is different and therefore not all people are relaxed from the same thing. Take your time to get to know yourself better and when you are aware of what works best for you, you will only have to visualize it in your tense moments.

5. Analyze your situation objectively

When you see that you can’t handle that situation that makes you so angry and generates so much stress, when you feel like you’re about to explode, when you try in every way to stay calm but you can’t, be objective and honest with yourself.

Imagine the situation you are experiencing as if you weren’t there and the protagonist was someone else. How would you see it? Would you see it the same way? If the protagonist of that story asked you for advice, what would you say? Surely if you don’t take into account the emotional implications, he is able to act differently and better.

You can also involve someone you trust to help you consider the consequences of a given decision and choose the most appropriate alternative.

A person outside the problem will help keep you calm and give you his objective point of view from an outside position. It may be that a person outside the problem is able to see solutions that you yourself cannot see.

6. Taking care of your diet can help control your nerves

Healthy eating is important to all of us, as diet affects both our bodies and our moods. Find out how what we eat affects your brain.

There are people who drink coffee or smoke a cigarette to keep calm because they think this produces calm and tranquility. This is always a mistake because by associating a behavior with a state of mind, this will lead to an emotional anchoring that will strengthen a dysfunctional habit.

Other people turn to ice cream or sweets because they think sugar is good on such occasions or even need to gorge themselves on whatever food they catch. Mistake!

Not only is coffee not good for these cases, but any drink that contains caffeine can make us more nervous. Products with sugar have the opposite effect to what we want at the time, as they give us energy and therefore we may feel even more upset.

How to calm down? In cases like this, experts recommend eating dark chocolate and foods rich in vitamin C such as strawberries, oranges, because they reduce cortisol (stress hormone) and drinking some type of relaxing infusion (for example, infusion with valerian or some relaxing hawthorn) to help you stay calm.

For those who need to unpack the fridge to keep calm, the consumption of chewing gum (sugar free) is recommended to help them reduce stress and nervousness levels. If you also try to chew the gum slowly, consciously savoring it, keeping your attention on the gum and indirectly you will pay less attention to the problem.

7. Nature can be your great ally

In tense and complicated moments, stepping away from the situation that is troubling you is very important to clear your head. Find a quiet place where you feel comfortable and focus on thinking about something other than what is causing you discomfort.

If in times of stress you have the opportunity to get away to some natural space, whether it’s the beach, the mountains, the countryside, do it! The bright colors of nature make your mind relax.

8. The importance of exercise

How to keep calm in complicated situations? Move, activate your body in any way. Walking is always highly recommended. Going for a walk or better still going for a run is a good way to detach from problems, free up energy and keep your mind clear of situations that cause us discomfort.

Whichever exercise you choose, it’s always better to take a little walk than to be locked in your room with the same intrusive thoughts and feelings running through your head. Exercise helps regulate emotions and, thanks to the release of endorphins, makes us feel happier.

If you are one of those who prefer other types of activity or physical exercise other than running, you can look for alternatives in other activities such as swimming, dancing, pilates, yoga or mindfulness as they help reduce the tension that builds up in us everyday.

Exercise helps regulate emotions and allows us to stay calm.

9. Forgive, forget and keep a sense of humor

Sometimes we are faced with situations where, due to various circumstances, we feel anxious and guilty.

On these occasions, if we want to remain calm, it is essential to be aware of the mistakes we have made and free to forgive ourselves and thus release the blame. If we believe we have made a mistake, we must be able to forgive ourselves and give ourselves a second chance.

It’s always good to try to take the positive side of things and take everything with humor. Laugh at yourself, at the situation and at everything, even if it’s complicated sometimes.

10. Congratulate yourself

We already know that keeping calm under any circumstances is not an easy task. It takes a lot of patience, a lot of practice, and the desire and willpower not to give up when things seem to be getting out of hand.

Congratulate yourself because you wanted to and could. You have been a mature person and thanks to your desire you have managed to keep calm by controlling both your emotions and your actions. Be very proud of yourself. If you failed at something, nothing happens, don’t punish yourself because next time you’ll do better. Also, failures help you get to know yourself better and make you know yourself better so that in future situations you won’t make the same mistakes.

And what way do you use to keep calm? Tell me in the comments!