Keep Your Cool, Baby

Would you like to know the secret to good communication, positive relationships, and a peaceful, harmonious existence? It’s pretty simple. Just keep your cool, Baby.?

If you’re like most folks these days, you’re stressed to the max. There are many contributors to the out-of-control feeling that many people feel on a daily basis. Escalating gas and food prices. The threat of war. Physical and mental exhaustion. Traffic. Polarized politics. Each one of these circumstances contributes to stress that can erupt in anger and frustration.?

Recently the feeling of scarcity has been pervasive. Scarcity means not having enough – not enough employees, enough supplies, enough time, enough money. And when you get caught up in scarcity, tempers can flare and lead to explosions. Much like a volcano in which the pressure builds up until it explodes in a fury of fire, smoke, and ash, the pressures of everyday life build up, and we humans, like the volcano, are prone to blowing up.?

It's easy to be triggered by people and events. So the question is…Are you letting other people control your mood, and therefore, your emotions and peace of mind? Are you letting things outside your control drive your responses? While it may not be easy, your best bet is to remember that you are in complete control of your reaction to the circumstances going on around you. You get to decide how you will handle the pressure. When you let other people or situations manipulate your emotions, you give away your power.?

So, when someone cuts you off in traffic, wheels into the parking spot you wanted, or pushes in front of you in the grocery store checkout line, just smile, take a deep breath, and keep your cool. When friends or relatives try to draw you into a political debate (a no-win situation for sure!), smile, take a deep breath, and keep your cool.?

Bottom line: The person who keeps his or her cool, enjoys a more peaceful life.?

?Julie Alexander