How many situations can you remember when someone lost their cool and behaved inappropriately?

Life always gives us challenges we can overcome even though sometimes it feels difficult. When circumstances are not in our control, negative emotions creep up, and we become stressed. We begin to think about all the possible negative scenarios and how we cannot control the outcomes we want.

We become affected by uncertainty and sometimes react to situations unpredictably. Living in this way has its apparent disadvantages, and the repercussions on our physical and mental well-being can be manifold.

The famous author, speaker and coach Michael O’Neill says that our mind is programmed to relax and remain in a meditative state by default. That’s what happens when we sleep and relax after a long day’s work.

The constant processing of our thoughts causes instability, and we lose the concept of keeping cool.

There are many examples of people who remain relaxed and in control of their emotional state. You can find them in sports all the time where pressure of performance and winning can make situations impossible to control.

While watching a recent James Bond movie, I was amazed at how he always found a way to stay relaxed and be present “in the moment” after a chaotic scene.

All of us have the same ability, albeit we need to practice. When some uncertain event happens, anxiety and negative emotions pull us, but our responses can significantly impact the final result if we can stay focused and relaxed.

Inner peace and staying relaxed amid chaos are choices that all of us have. Whenever there is uncertainty and apprehension, we have an opportunity to resist the urge to react. Instead, we can stay focused on the end goal and keep the big picture in our minds.

Like James Bond, practice remaining calm and focus on what you have to do next. Our mental well-being is in our hands, and no one can possess the remote control of our responses if we are in control.

Self-Reflection Tips:

• Recall a past experience where you behaved differently than you would of circumstances were different.
• What behaviors did you not like and would like to change?
• What’s that one thing you can do today which will progressively change how you deal with a similar situation in the future?