How to Remain Calm and Patient in Stressful Situations

Stressed much?

Let’s face it – life can be very stressful. Everyone seems to be moving at warp speed and if a serious and stressful situation occurs it can easily provoke feelings of panic, helplessness and anxiety. These feelings are counter-productive and highly detrimental to your professional and personal well-being.

It’s almost inevitable that stressful situations will arise and here are some ways that you can better “keep your cool” when you find yourself in such circumstances:

Slow down and take a moment to breathe and reflect.

Most of us in business do not have to make split second decisions that can result in life or death. When you do find yourself in a stressful situation the best strategy is to disconnect from the situation, take the time to organize your thoughts and gather as much information about the situation as possible so that you can make an informed decision. Reacting impulsively and without the requisite background about the situation will often lead to further problems.

Assess the magnitude of the situation.

Clearly not all stressful situations are the same! Ask yourself whether or not this situation has the potential to have a long-term negative impact or if the problem or obstacle will be minimal and short-term in nature? Once the significance of the situation is understood it is then easier to make a decision on how to solve the situation. Making the decision itself can potentially reduce your stress.

Turn to a trusted resource.

In stressful situations it is highly beneficial to turn to trusted business advisors and friends to help you gain clarity and perspective. It’s much more feasible to keep stress under control when people that you trust are helping you to see your way to a resolution.

Take care of yourself.

When you are under stress and maximum patience and resilience are called for it is best to maintain your health by eating nutritious food and getting enough sleep. Cutting back on rest and assuaging hunger with junk food will undermine your resilience and stamina.

Sometimes the best and easiest way to remain calm in a stressful situation is to simply remind yourself to be grateful for all that is good in your life. It’s easy to get stressed and overreact to a situation, not because of the enormity of the situation itself, but simply because of all that we must juggle on a daily basis. Don’t let these situations make you forget what is positive.