Tips on how to calm yourself under pressure…
“Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset.” ~ Saint Francis de Sales.
This past week could have been viewed as chaotic for me. My granddaughter was born on Saturday. I was wrapping up an audit at work and my next project was right there waiting in the wings and on top of that, I needed to finish my final projects to complete my practicum to become a Certified Forest Therapy Guide.
It was all a bit stressful and it seemed like there wasn’t enough time in the day to get everything done, nonetheless to spend time with family! I finally finished the project I was working on last night, and fell into bed in sheer exhaustion at 9 pm, like a little child…
I survived a week of working late hours – working on my days off and in the hospital waiting for little Autumn-Rose to be born.
Knowing how to stay calm, with a balanced mindset, during this time is a very important skill.
For many, including myself, the skill or should I say, the ‘art of staying calm and emotionally balanced’, can deteriorate under stressful or distracting conditions.
Staying emotionally balanced under extreme pressure is much more challenging, than staying balanced under moderate conditions!
For example, hitting golf balls with your friends might be relatively easy. But add 5,000 spectators and some TV cameras and some people will crumble!
Imagine being calm and peaceful at all times. How would your life change? A greater ability to manage your emotions is invaluable!
Here are some tips to help keep calm under pressure:
🎯 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 perceived good morning often results in a perceived good day, just like a perceived good Monday often results in a perceived good week. Mine consists of getting up at the same time, eating a healthy breakfast, 10-20 minutes of meditation, followed by self-care and getting ready for work.
🎯 Be aware of your emotions.
Continuously monitor your reactions to stressful events. How do you feel physically? What thoughts do you have? Do you use self-talk? Notice everything that has changed.
🎯 Bring yourself back to your calm state.
If your self-talk has become what some can perceive as negative, take control and stop it. Why are you feeling this way? How is this impacting you? How is it impacting others?
🎯 Focus on Gratitude.
Remember to stay “In The Now” or “In The Moment”. The past is past and cannot be changed. The future hasn’t arrived yet, so no point worrying. You CAN handle what is right in front of you at this given moment.
🎯 Remember that it’s not all about you.
Avoid assuming that a perceived negative event says anything about you. If someone gets snippy with you, it might just be a symptom of their trouble at home. People do things for lots of reasons that don’t involve you. It’s common to take things personally, but it’s often inaccurate and not based on the here and now.
🎯 Find healthy coping habits.
Many of us shop, drink, or eat when we’re stressed. That’s a good way to end up poor, drunk and overweight – all of which can add their own stress! Develop some new habits that are actually good for you. Yoga, meditation and exercise are just a few suggestions.
🎯 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’ll feel calmer and less stressed.
🎯 Get enough sleep.
It’s much easier to remain calm when you’ve 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’re super busy, you’ll usually get more done if you maintain your normal sleep schedule. I know – easier said than done. I’m even guilty of this one getting only 5-6 hours sometimes. When this happens try to sneak in a nap on a lunch break to make up the time. It really does wonders for how you feel and how you deal!
🎯 Ask yourself questions. Questions can determine your focus and influence our actions.
Is this really going to make a difference? Does it matter? Is the other person overreacting? Are you overreacting? Are you stressed about the past, present, or future? As I mentioned earlier: The past is over, and the future hasn’t arrived yet, so focus on the present. What can you do to turn this situation around? Is there an outcome that will bring joy and contentment to everyone?
🎯 Take a break.
If you’re unable to remain calm, give yourself a few minutes to regroup and equilibrate your emotions. Some time alone can have rejuvenating results. Take a 10 minute walk outside and surround yourself with nature or if you’re at work and can’t get out, even a 5 minute stretch to the bathroom and back for some quiet time will help. Just focusing on your breathing, away from the phones and any distractions, can do wonders for regrouping and getting yourself back on track!
Staying calm in challenging situations can be difficult, but it’s a learn-able skill!
Start with less stressful situations and test your ability to stay cool, calm, and collected. In time, equilibrating your emotions will be second nature. 🙏 💝🙏
Love & Light,
Dawn-Marie
Your Mindset Transformation & Nature Goddess Guide
Written on 5 November, 2019
Biography
Dawn-Marie P. Dalsass, President of Livelihood Spirit Balance is a Stress Management Maven. She’s a Stress and Anxiety Expert for Middle Managers. She started her career in Corporate America while she was in high school and worked her way up the ranks finding herself in middle to upper management for most of her corporate career. She loved what she did but along the way she battled stress, anxiety and depression. When work and life were more than she could handle she planned her suicide in detail. Fortunately, she didn’t go through with it when she saw her 2 little boys on her way to get a knife with a plan to end it all. It was in that moment that she vowed to pull herself together and begin a new journey.
In 2015 she started her own business called Life Coach DM. After several years of working with clients, she realized that the majority of her clients were in middle management just like she was. She had helped most go from being stressed, anxious and / or depressed to being more balanced, aware and dynamic while guiding them on their own journey to achieve life goals including work life balance.
Dawn-Marie has since become a Certified Nature & Forest Therapy Guide and teaches individuals how they too can annihilate the stress, anxiety and depression (aka S.A.D) that middle managers and working parents can face through a process called equilibration (the balancing of the mind and emotions) along with the healing benefits a deep connection to nature (both indoors and out) can bring to become fully balanced, aware and dynamic (aka B.A.D).
Through her own practice, Dawn-Marie discovered what she calls Livelihood Spirit Balance where how one lives their life is in alignment with their authentic self, their B.A.D Ass-self. With Livelihood Spirit Balance, Work Life Balance and everything else just falls into place.
Based on her years of work and client success stories, Dawn-Marie changed her business name to Livelihood Spirit Balance to align with her teachings, mission, vision and purpose.
Dawn-Marie offers online courses, personal and corporate development coaching, workshops and seminars. As the owner of Total Convalescence – Nature & Forest Therapy she also offers public and private Nature & Forest Therapy Walks.
Dawn-Marie is a:
- Certified Mindset Transformation Coach
- Certified Nature & Forest Therapy Guide
- Certified Law of Attraction Wealth Practitioner
- Certified Fraud Examiner and
- Certified Internal Controls Auditor
