How to Keep Your Mind Calm in Tensed Situations?

Stress is an extremely normal part of modern life. However, if often find yourself being faced with stressful situations and feel panicked then you learning some strategies that can help in calming your mind. Pressure puts us in a survival mode which further leads to the stimulation of hormones that prepare us to either get ready to fight or run from danger.

In the modern times that we live in, stress stimulates hormones but they are not so helpful when the danger comes from giving a presentation at work rather than running from a wild animal. In case you often find yourself feeling anxious and in panic then you must learn some steps that can help your mind calm down in tense situations.

In this blog, we will look at steps that can keep your mind calm in a tense situation. However, first, we will understand the difference between a calm and a stressed mind for some basic context.

How do you differentiate Calm and a stressed mind?

Stress at all times is not normal. If you are in a fight or flight situation then your stress response will be to save your life. Your attention and muscles will be mobilized and your immune system tries to get you out of the danger. Basically, any kind of stress response is supposed to be rather short-lived so that it wears down your body, your health, and your energy.

What’s more, the stress also impacts things such as your emotional intelligence and your decision making power. When you are wounded up, you are more than likely to react to situations than to respond with a reason. This is because you look at the world differently.

Stress makes you focus narrowly while preventing you to see the bigger picture. On the other hand, when you are calmer, your attention becomes broader. You begin to see more things. You will be able to pick up more of the target images while suggesting that their state of mind becomes more attentive.

A calm mind leads to attentiveness which then leads to noticing more things about other people and communicating them in better ways. High stress and anxiety tend to make your self focused because you are in a survival mode. You are only focused on getting out of the situation at hand.

In a business setting, stress can lead to many unnecessary problems. When you are stressed you will ignore if a colleague looks burned out. However, if you are calm then you will also be more empathetic. You will see what is going on around you and you will take the time to reach out and ask if there is anything that you can do to make the situation better.

Calmness ensures that you manage your energy better and spend your days with your sympathetic nervous system in overdrive. It helps you focus on what you need to do and get it done quickly. If you wish to get the most out of your ability to get something done then calmness is the key. Once you learn how to keep your mind calm even in tense situations, you will see that the result is creativity, innovation, and productivity.

Steps to Keep Your Mind Calm in Tensed Situations

1. Deep Breathing

Taking deep breaths can trigger your body to stop releasing any stress hormones while making it feel relaxed. If you find yourself in a stressful situation, you will notice that taking deep breaths seems challenging when you first pay attention. Once you become conscious of your inability to breathe deeply, start with deep inhaling and exhaling.

When you concentrate on your breathing, you will be able to distract your mind from anything that is troubling you. Moreover, you will also be able to focus on what is happening at that very moment. Make sure that you breathe in deeply through your nose so that the air goes into your belly and not just the chest.

Hold your breath for a moment and then breathe out slowly from your mouth. Take some time to breathe properly and you will be able to find yourself feeling a lot calmer. A common and calming breathing exercise is to breathe by counting to four, holding your breath and then breathing out for twice as long.

As you do this exercise, you are activating the parasympathetic nervous system and reducing your heart rate and blood pressure. This will allow you to feel a deep sense of calmness while focusing on the present moment.

2. Self-Compassion

We are our worst critics more often than not. We also tend to think that being self-critical can help us become more self-aware and make us work harder but that is a myth. Self-criticism destroys our resilience.

We do not learn from our mistakes when we keep beating ourselves up. The fact is that self critical people have more anxiety and depression. They are actually unable to bounce back from struggles.

With self-compassion, you can be mindful of your emotions and aware of what is going on inside you whenever you fail at something. This does not mean that you identify with these emotions but you can just observe and see them.

When you show compassion to yourself, you are also able to understand that all of us make mistakes and that they are a part of being alive. It is actually the ability to speak to yourself that steers you forward in the direction of progress.

It is said that when we are calmer, we have lesser feelings of stress as well as lower cortisol levels. In addition, we also become a lot more resilient. We are not so afraid of failure and a lot more motivated to improve ourselves.

3. Optimistic Mindset

If we do not control our mind then it runs amok and starts controlling us. The negative pattern of thinking about the worst possible case is commonly known as catastrophic thinking can it can increasingly create feelings of panic and anxiety.

As opposed to focusing on the negative aspects or outcomes, try and spend some time thinking about all the positives and how things can go right. If your bathroom is flooded and you have to replace all the flooring, this could be a stressful situation.

Yet focusing on the fact that it gives you an opportunity to update and renovate, the repair work can be covered with the insurance only. Staying positive allows your brain to avoid stress and feel calmer.

4. Sleeping Well

Almost everything can seem troublesome when you have not had a good night’s sleep. Stress and anxiety can lead to insomnia and you end up in a vicious cycle of not being able to sleep and the feeling worse because you have not had a good enough sleep.

The hustle culture that we live in has unfortunately made it look cooler to not get asleep. The millennial workforce continues to work for hours on an end while ignoring proper sleep which is extremely important for a healthy body. If you have been following this unhealthy lifestyle too then it is time to stop immediately.

Make sure that sleep is an important priority for you and more so when you are under a lot of pressure. Go to bed as early as you can and ban all the electronic devices from the bedroom. Light some candles and use essential oils to promote feelings of calmness so that you can sleep well at night.

5. Go for a Walk

Moving your body in any way or form that you can possibly manage is as important as sleeping well. If you wish to keep stress at bay then make sure that you include some form of mobility in your routine. This will prompt your body to release feel-good hormones and it will also help you to clear your head.

If you are under pressure at work then getting five minutes of fresh air and a change of scenery can be helpful in feeling better. Go for a walk so that you gain a fresh perspective on the situation and you will probably realize that the situation at hand is not a case of life or death.

This may sound clichéd but the fact is that there is always a way out. No matter what kind of problem you may be in, it is possible to find a solution. You just have to be willing to look for another way and gain some courage to do things differently. Be honest with your work and the paths will appear in front of you.??

6. Meditate

Meditating regularly has proven to reduce stress and change the brain with time. You can manage your emotions better and stay calm when you need to. There is a common misconception that meditation is only for the elderly or for people who have no interest in the materialistic world but that is not true.

Even sitting in silence and focusing on your breath is a form of meditation. Learn some relaxing meditating techniques so that you can reduce your stress levels, and lower your blood pressure and your heart rate as well. Also, try and exercise regularly so that your body can fight stress in a better way when it is fit.

Stressful situations can often increase the level of stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. On the other hand, physical exercises can be used as a substitute to metabolise stress hormones while helping you reset your body and mind to a calmer state.

7. Eat Healthily

Consuming light and healthy meals can keep you on your toes and offer that feel-good factor. These meals also work as a great confidence booster. Make sure that stock up your kitchen with healthy food options for a better diet rather than junk food that lowers your energy.?

Try if you can consume more nuts and dry fruits, soya chips, fruits, wholewheat crackers, and vegetables. This cannot be stressed enough but without eating healthy and at the right time you cannot think about improving your mental and emotional capacity.

Physiological balance is a must if you wish to lead a stress-free life. Even when you are at work, take some time out of your busy schedule to eat well and maintain a healthy diet.

8. Time Management

Set limitations and learn to say no to any requests that can create more stress in your life. A common cause of added stress is having too much on your plate and too little time to handle it all.

Regardless of the time and the situation that you find yourself in, so many people agree to take on more responsibilities thinking that this will do them good professionally. In an office setting, sometimes it becomes very important to say no because that helps you to reduce your stress.

With effective time management, you can also get enough time to take on a new day. Once you find a balance of doing everything at the right time then you will see that you will be free with an added time to get so many things done.

9. Stay Away from Toxicity

You must not rely on drugs, alcohol and compulsive behaviour to reduce your stress. Make sure that you avoid and reduce your consumption of substances such as nicotine and any other drinks including alcohol or caffeine.

These toxic substances are stimulants that can increase your level of stress rather than reduce it. You can get used to them and breaking away from them can become another task. They may produce a good feeling in a short while but they do more harm than good in the long run.

10. Be Realistic

Stress is often triggered because of a problem at hand that may seem impossible to solve. When you learn how to find solutions to your problems, you will feel more controlled while lowering your stress levels considerably. On the other hand, changing a difficult situation is not always possible.

You must accept that there are many problems that you cannot control. Do not obsess over the fact that the problem does not have any solution. Instead, make sure that you give your best while focusing on the elements that can be controlled.

Conclusion

A business setting is full of so many unpredictable situations. You do not know what will come next but you can learn to cope with the situations by managing yourself and your response to these situations. Making an effort to regulate your stress can help you feel calmer and manage any situation in a much better way.