Cool Undertones: How To Stay Calm, Cool And Collected When Life Tries Your Patience

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By mia bolaris-forget

We may in fact, at least according to experts, be “the” most stressed generation they can remember. And, much of it, they say we bring on ourselves. And, while there is much we can do little to control, there are areas that we can control and that includes our responses to our stresses, including anger.

Anger is a seemingly imminent byproduct of having to much on our plates and too little time to effectively deal with it all. In fact, the less time we have, the quicker we are to react and likely to ‘explode”.

Still, anger can wreak havoc not only on those around you, but on YOU, making it imperative to get your emotions and your responses to them under control.

· Be Aware: Note your emotions BEFORE they get out of control. Acknowledge when you are feeling troubled, “hot and bothered” and talk yourself into calming down by taking note that responding now may cloud your better judgement.

· Breathe Deeply: Take a deep breath to help you relax and calm down. Remember, just like pain, each of us has a different tolerance for frustration and even that can vary depending on the situation and the type of day you are having. Also, keeping physically fit can help you get a grip and keep your emotions in check, simply by redirecting your energy and aggression.

· Shift your focus to you: Think about how blessed you are and how “good” you have it (generally, and except for this situation which may make you lose your cool). Talking yourself out of feeling victimized and helpless can change your mind about how you react and may help un-fog your judgement.

· Humour yourself: Try to envision something funny which can dilute your rage and frustration. If you’ve got nothing at the moment to draw from, look around you and try to find something to smile or snicker at.

· Refreshing Ideas: Clear your mind with a series of questions that can help you talk your way to a more logical reaction or solution.