Keep your cool

Learn to keep your cool even when things get tense

Life can be tense or stressful at times. Moments like that can happen anywhere: at home, at work or even during a fun night out on the town. When someone or something makes you angry or tense, it is easy to get worked up or lose your cool, but it can be just as easy to stay calm and collected. The following tips can’t make these uncomfortable moments disappear, but they can help you to handle them in a more mature, collected manner.

Breathe

When you feel anxious or angry, take a moment to breathe deeply for ten seconds or more. Take calm, deep, even breaths. If you can’t breathe deeply at first, keep going until your breath is relaxed and even.

If this is a problem for you, you can train yourself to make your breathing less shallow and not as quick. Consider taking some introductory yoga or meditation classes to work on this. There are also breathing techniques that you can practice on your own.

Minimize

As people, we have a tendency to get dramatic and worked up. It seems that our instinct is to make a bigger deal out of everything than it actually is. Even though you are trying to override your nature, it is easy to do the opposite. When you feel yourself starting to get worked up, tell yourself that whatever is happening, it isn’t a big deal, and it is something that you can cope with. Ask yourself if the thing or person upsetting you is really worth all the trouble, and when you realize the answer is no, just let it go.

Pay attention

Are there certain situations or people that always make you lose your cool? It could be that you get ornery at a certain time every day. Look at patterns like this, noting your stress level, hunger or anything else you can. This might help you realize that you need a mid-afternoon snack before your kids come home so that you don’t snap at them, or that you shouldn’t go to the supermarket after work because you cannot tolerate the long lines.

Conclusion

These are just three tips to help you keep your cool when you start to get hot under the collar. The main thing to remember whenever you get mad or anxious is that you are able to control your emotions; your emotions do no control you. You don’t need to give in to anxiety or rage, and by following these tips and other methods that work for you, soon you will be able to keep your cool in almost every situation.