Art of being Calm Cool Confident Composed under PRESSURE
In this article you will learn
-65 ways How to remain calm-composed and in full self-control — how successful people stay calm at work and you can do it too
Those who have trained themselves through disciplined and structured practice — to stay calm during their most trying times and toughest phases will be less stressful, happier, successful and have meaningful relationships.
Many of the great leaders have mastered the art of keeping a cool, calm, confident demeanor.
Maintaining your self-control and calm is easy — when you are having a positive phase and the going is good.
Anyone can smile, wave and take credit — but the reaction a leader display — when the situations turns very bad — shows how great leaders he/she is.
Real winners and great leaders are those who can retain their cool — when under extreme pressure and facing threats from multiple sources.
Life can be exhausting and there will be days when you are getting bombarded by numerous issues and which does not seem to end and keeps stretching endlessly — and it can be difficult to keep your composure and remain calm.
Please understand that many situations cannot be changed and neither you won’t any control over so many circumstances — but you can still maintain your composure under pressure by learning through disciplined practice.
In today’s VUCA [volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous] & future-wise BANI [brittle, anxious, non-linear and incomprehensible] world — most of us are living in a time of hyper-competitiveness and an unprecedented pace of change with huge disruptions.
Intermittent temporary stressful events can make your brain more alert and more effective- but a prolonged state of stress — suppresses your brain’s ability to develop new cells and also handle the situation in positive manner.
Many of us under extreme stress — may go back to behaviors we used in childhood when faced with an highly threatening situation [as per our perceptions] — some may run away and hide or go into your own inner cocoon or throw tantrums or shut others out or scream — which is a classic flight-freeze-fight reaction to stress, anxiety and fear.
How do successful people remain calm under pressure — how do they manage to take actions in face of very scary situations?
Composure is not something that everyone is born with — these great leaders have learned to manage their negative emotions in productive, positive and meaningful ways.
There is really no quick and easy way to learn and master this skill.
When you see a leader who is cool, calm, and collected — it is because they went through many ups and downs which forced them to grow into the leader they are today.
Leaders don’t scream or show fear when they are in very high-pressure situations — they assure everyone looking to them for guidance that things will be fine — this mentality is what separates leaders from the rest.
65 ways How to remain calm-composed and in full self-control — how successful people stay calm at work and you can do it too by taking care of your wellbeing — mentally, physically, emotionally, socially and relationship-wise
1. Create a plan of having multiple small-small meals every day including small portions of protein, greens and leafy vegetables, fruits, carbs, nuts-raisins, vitamins etc.
2. Ensure that you get a very-deep sleep of at least 1 & ½ hours every day — learn how to achieve this through my blog on sleep in this section
3. Go for aerobic and cardio-exercise — on the days not possible just walk and stretch even while working
4. Spend quiet time with yourself doing nothing, thinking nothing — and by just being aware of the thoughts moving around in your mind without focusing on them till you reach the state of thoughtlessness
5. Meditate and relax — find your own way of meditation that works for you
6. Learn and do breathing exercises every day — inhale through your nose, counting to four very slowly — let the air fill your lungs completely -hold your breath to another count of four -exhale through your mouth, to a count of four hold your breath again for the same count of four — then repeat
7. Play team games that involves running and jumping around
8. When you feel overwhelmed with too much to do — or angry at something or other’s incompetence, or frustrated, or disappointed — instead of saying why is this happening to me — ask what can i do now to mitigate and what I need to change
9. Learn to stop overthinking and overanalyzing — first become aware that you are doing it then learn from my blog on this topic on how to break this habit of mind
10. Train yourself to be comfortable with discomfort by becoming familiar with feeling pressure by taking projects that is a stretch
11. Create routine for your forthcoming challenging project — highlighting what you would do if things don’t work the way you plan
12. Shift your attention away from your worries and towards the task at hand
13. Step outside for a purposeful pause — when overwhelmed or facing a stressor to avoid fight-freeze-flight reaction
14. Identify your triggers — which makes you lose your self-control and calm — both people and situation — after identifying how you react and what presses your triggers — create a plan to manage those responses — if it is an important meeting — take the time to think about what will be said in the conversation and figure out which of those things might rattle you and determine what your response will be
15. When someone throws you an unexpected curveball- learn and practice the art of asking questions-use this to create a pause and buy- to think [while breathing and exhaling and counting backwards from 10 to 1]
16. Understand that it is very difficult to control your triggers and even more difficult to control your emotions as they happen before you have even realized it
17. Ask yourself if the thing causing you the stress is really worth it
18. Stay passionate but don’t allow your emotions to get in the way — don’t take things personally
19. Respond decisively speak with conviction, confidence, and authority — whether you know the answer or not — don’t show any signs of doubt to instill belief in others
20. Take accountability by being fully committed to resolve the issue at hand during times of crisis and change — it is only your responsibility to solve all your problems
21. Be willing to listen to understand and learn
22. Approach the matter at hand with a sense of elegance and grace — focus on finding the best solution by exploring multiple solutions
23. Reframe the situation by putting the situation into right context
24. Create solutions for the worst-case scenario
25. Face your fear by taking action — one small action towards what makes you scared and this action if the way forward to mitigate your fears
26. Lead by making decisions — in case your solution doesn’t work — you take what you learned, and then immediately take another shot by improvising
27. Make decisions from facts not feelings
28. Winners operate in the real world, not in the idealized world that exists in an individual mind. Become decisive
29. Keep your eyes on the ball to ensure the most important thing stays the most important thing — as it is very easy for your team to get sidetracked — because every project has in-built distractions, interferences, and complications and a lack of focus will lead to failure.
30. Expect success- don’t fall into the trap of visualizing and anticipating failure — it can become a self-fulfilling prophecy
31. Learn to use your emotions as a tool channel your emotions constructively and not let your emotions control you
32. Learn to accept feedback as your best friend and gift — learn the art of giving and receiving feedback.
33. Learn alternative approaches to handling conflict-try out a few of these techniques until you find one that works for you, and you’ll be seen as a leader that stays calm and can take the heat when it gets hot in the kitchen.
34. Stop whining — move forward
35. Stop thinking about what will happen and what else can go wrong
36. Stop doing what you do — start doing things differently
37. Stop and ask what you can do — don’t wait start doing
38. Plan ahead — focus on one thing at a time — be flexible- don’t sweat the small stuff
39. Trust yourself- avoid a doom and gloom attitude
40. Seek support and help no one succeeds in a silo
41. Act like you have been there before
42. Slow down — never ask -what if -but develop a coping strategy for all things going wrong
43. If nothing is working lower your expectations especially of yourself — try not to put added pressure on yourself and just do the best that you can
44. Learn to process large amounts of complex information, contradictory views, and strong emotions
45. Keep informed but don’t drown in information overload- it always select the most reliable sources of information
46. Mix confidence and hope with realism — challenge and reframe your perspective
47. Adapt your personal operating model — learn to prioritize and use your time and energy in optimum manner
48. Learn to manage your energy
49. Learn to make jokes
50. Avoid assumptions -identify the true source of your frustration -view the situation objectively
This article was originally published as “Dealing with insecure Bosses” in https://successunlimited-mantra.com/index.php/blog [1st]for more than 3000+ blogs, articles and answers on creating metamorphosis in every aspect of your life — personal, professional, business, mental, emotional, social, relationships — please visit all three links http://relationshipandhappiness.com/ [2nd] and https://www.quora.com/profile/Subhashis-Banerji [3rd]
