Staying Calm?
Have you ever being in a situation where you are very irritated and angry about something that someone had said or done to you? Well, I certainly have! A friend of mine and I get into an argument because we both have different views on a certain subject and no one was willing to see the other side's points. I was so angry that I grind my teeth, clench my fist and tense up my body, the next moment I said something hurtful and inappropriate leading to more conflicts and arguments. It was definitely not a good experience to have. Thinking back, I would have done better and I should have so I try to improve the control of my emotions. Over the years, I have gotten better in the management of my emotions and now almost nothing can make me lose my calmness because I constantly practice some tips and also remind myself never to let something like that to happen again.
7 tips to calm down quickly
Take a deep breath
I remember myself arguing to the point that I was out of breath and that I was gasping for air afterwards? Did that happen to you too? Well, we tend to forget to breathe when we are agitated. During heated moments, close your eyes and take a deep breath to temporary remove yourself from the situation. You will be amazed how the cooling air is able to calm you down immediately. If not, take more deep breaths and while doing so, think about something that makes you happy. I also use this opportunity to carefully think about the situation I am in and analyzing it makes me calmer.
Drink water
If taking more deep breaths does not help you much in calming down, then sip some water. In a similar fashion to deep breathing, drinking water helps 'cool' down your head and most importantly this prevents you from saying something unnecessary especially during an argument. Sipping a little water gives you more time to analyze the situation you are in and avoid falling into the worst situation by doing the wrong action. Drink more if you want more time to think.
Write down your thought
Writing down your thoughts on a paper or a notebook can be a good way to release your emotions peacefully. You can write down your feelings at the moment such as anger, anxiety or sadness on blank piece of paper. An additional benefit of writing down your emotions allows you to analyze your emotions to identify what caused you to be feeling in such ways, what are the other solutions that you can take or better yet, how to prevent that from happening again.
Listen to music
This will not always be available but this is a powerful way to calm down your nerves in heated times. No matter what you are feeling right now, there are numerous great music out there that you can listen to and achieve a calm state of mind. I have my personal favorite list of songs that I would rely on sometimes to release my tensions and you should do the same too!
Wash your face
If situation allows, you can take a short bathroom break to wash your face or hands to control your emotion. Similarly, this is to create an opportunity to remove yourself temporary from the situation and give yourself more time to think about your next move. You can go further by taking a shower, if you like.
Take a walk
Now going on a walk is a much better way of removing yourself temporary from the unwanted situation. You are not just able to relax your tensed body when you are walking but sometimes, inspirations may sprout so you may know what would be your upcoming action. The distance of the walk depends on your needs but I tend to walk around my home (from my bedroom to the living room and back) for a few times and it did the magic I required.
Intentionally tense up your body
You may ask what is the point of purposely tensing up your body, should not this make us less calm? Well, you never how effective this is to relax your body after you release your tension on your body. Put your focus on your body and tense up all if not majority of the muscles you are able to control, from your face to your arms to your abdomen to your legs. Contract the muscle groups one by one for a few seconds each and relax them. You will see how effective it is to fully relax your body and with that, you also attain a calmness of your mind.
Conclusion
The ability to be able to control our emotions in whatever situation we are in is very crucial to us as it provides the time to think things though calmly. The suggestions provided are useful in most normal daily life activities like when we are discussing (arguing) with someone, waiting in a traffic jam or experiencing a small, unfortunate event. You can intentionally train your mind to stay calm by doing repetitive and effective emotion management cycle that you developed and before long, you will be able to do it naturally even without thinking! With that, even in a panic situation, you are able to stay calm and make the most rational decision!
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