4 Activities That Will Help You Stay Calm In Difficult Situations

Although it may seem impossible, there are some guidelines that can help us stay calm in difficult moments and achieve greater well-being in adverse situations.

Facing difficult situations or stressful moments can put us to the test. The truth is that it is not easy to stay calm in difficult situations. However, with practice and dedication, we can develop the discipline that is needed to generate self-control and not lose our temper.

Self-control is the ability of people to maintain self-control in difficult, stressful or emotionally-provoking situations. Or even in hostile or dangerous situations. This implies the ability to resist and a positive attitude when we are under constant stress. Let’s look at some ways to stay calm.

Techniques to help you stay calm

1. Controlled breathing

The breathing process is unconscious. That is, we do it automatically and without making any effort. However, the controlled breathing exercise involves breathing deeply and slowly.

This simple breathing method is one of the most efficient ways to calm down and control strong emotions under stressful conditions.

To stay calm, the most efficient breathing is diaphragmatic breathing. This is also known as abdominal breathing.

• The diaphragm, when it contracts, moves the abdomen and displaces the organs downward.
• This breathing is accomplished by inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth (with the diaphragm).

2. Divert thoughts

Although it may seem like an unorthodox method, it is also effective. Diverting thoughts to less stressful ones can help us regain control and stay calm. Thoughts are our worst enemies in difficult times.

They can help us get through the moment, or sink us much deeper into stress. Therefore, it is necessary that we learn to control what we think to avoid having “terrorist thoughts” that make it even more difficult for us to overcome the situation that affects us.

3. Identify causes of stress

There are also other factors that can contribute to stress and for which we must use other methods. An example is hormonal changes. For example, premenstrual syndrome. It is a hormonal drop just before menstruation that causes stress and changes in mood.

The same happens after childbirth, when there is a substantial decrease in hormones that cause us a lot of stress. Also during menopause, many hormones are lost in a sustained and progressive way, which causes excess stress in many women.

4. Manage your body well

Body language is extremely important when trying to handle difficult or stressful situations. Here we must mention the James-Lange theory. This states that the nervous system creates physiological responses in response to experiences and stimuli.

Some of these physiological responses include muscle tension, tearing, or rapid heart rate, among others. It is from these physiological responses that emotions are created.

That is, in a stressful situation our nervous system can tense the muscles. In response,  we feel fear and we lose control of our emotions. To fight these physiological responses, we must learn to control our body.

Therefore, when we find ourselves in a difficult situation, we must relax the shoulders and arms, and even the neck. We will accompany it with a deep breath and close our eyes.

This combination of actions will help us to relax immediately. This way we can handle the difficult situation that we are suffering at that moment and we will be able to remain calm.

If, on the contrary, we remain tense, we will be on edge and we will lose control of ourselves. We could even suffer a nervous breakdown if the stressful situation continues for a long time.

In some cases, stress can cause superficial blood capillaries to break and we begin to “sweat blood.” Therefore, it is very important to learn to handle difficult situations that may arise.

These tips can help you stay calm in difficult situations. Put them into practice and you will notice it in a positive way.