Staying calm in the storm
Stressful events happen in life, but sometimes we face situations that are extremely stressful and make us feel like we can't handle it anymore.
When you feel overwhelmed, your body might react by fighting, running away, or freezing in place. Staying calm in a very difficult situation means calming down the natural fear and stress reactions that your body automatically has.
Here are some tips to help avoid panic
Grounding with breathing, like the 4-7-8 method (inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 7, exhale for 8) or box breathing.
If you're in the middle of a threatening situation, your main goal is to calm down so you can think clearly again.
Monotone self-talk
Talking to yourself out loud in a clear and simple way, giving short and straightforward instructions, for example, “Right now I need to get out and move myself to safety."
Shock the senses
Strong peppermint mints, powerful essential oils, or a cold pack can help calm a nervous, overwhelmed mind and bring it back to feeling normal.
Build physical muscle memory
Run physical drills to practice repeatedly so your muscles remember what to do (like in the event of a fire).
Participation question:
What helps you to stay calm in overwhelming situations?
Helpful Videos:
4 Ways to Survive Unexpected Situations
Helpful Resources:
How Do Emergency Action Plans Prevent Panic? - Crisis Response Coach
How To Deal With Anxiety (3 Tools for Teens)
Seeking Help
Mental stress can cause us not to be able to see the good things in life and lead to excessive rumination or worries, which can result in serious health problems. If you have serious, long-term problems with negative thinking and feeling depressed, see your doctor or talk to a therapist if they are related to any mental challenges.
Are you looking for a therapist? 7 Cups has online, certified therapists with a paid option. For more information on what happens in online therapy at 7 Cups, Read Lisa’s (a therapist and director of therapy) explanation
https://www.7cups.com/forum/therapy/General_2432/WeveLaunchedTalkTherapyon7Cups_319430/
To apply for 7 Cups online therapy, click on this link (must be logged into member account) https://www.7cups.com/online-therapy/?ob=1
@amiablePeace77
What helps you to stay calm in overwhelming situations?
What helps me is being mindful of the situation and staying calm even when it is hard to do. I need to breathe and let myself handle the situations and come to terms with things. I have to stop making myself run around frantic because of things happening.
@pamharley003
I agree with you that rushing around in a panic doesn't really help. I believe that accepting what happened is what makes the biggest difference.
@amiablePeace77 I absolutely agree. I realize that every time I handle situations in a panic, I either do or say stuff that I regret, or I act out of character, and it makes me so mad when I'm calm. More recently, I've learned to keep quiet and be calm for at least 5mins. And I realise that has helped me to handle situations better.
@amiablePeace77
@amiablePeace77
I try to stay calm and true to my beliefs and morals.
@purpleTree4652
Sticking to what you believe is right helps to stay grounded! 👍
@purpleTree4652 I recently started doing this and it's been very helpful
@amiablePeace77
What helps you to stay calm in overwhelming situations?
@akunknown
Great reminder! 👍
@akunknown
yaa
@amiablePeace77
For me, what works best is the physiological sigh—taking two quick inhales through the nose followed by a long, slow exhale through the mouth. Doing that two or three times immediately lowers my heart rate. After that, I remind myself to break everything down into just the very next step rather than worrying about the entire crisis at once. Taking immediate physical control of your breath creates that brief pause needed to react with clarity instead of panic. 🌿🧘♂️
@ListenWithCare
Thank you for sharing this breathing technique! I find slow exhalations through the mouth with a sigh at the end feel like putting down a heavy weight, and focusing just on the next step truly helps getting overwhelmed!
@amiablePeace77 Thanks for these ideas! I have heard of a few of them but others are new to me and I might give them a try
@WinterWren11
Glad you checked in today and nice that you want to give it a try!
@amiablePeace77
I was just curious about the therapy with 7cups. If I did ever choose to talk with a therapist isn't there a way you can refine your search? For example, do all of the therapists offer services in "All" of the US States? If not isn't there a way to pull up therapists licensed for your own particular state?
@warmheartedAvocado7047
You can check therapists by state. Here is a link that gives you more information
Looking for a Therapist? Member Account only link to browse for a 7 Cups Online Therapist - Put in location to get issue information; therapist covers https://www.7cups.com/online-therapy/
Please let me know if I can help with anything else.
@amiablePeace77
I trained for that over the years. He he! I wish it was true of my sister though 😉
What helps you to stay calm in overwhelming situations?
@Fradiga
Some situations can be more challenging than others, but it's good that you keep on practising!
@amiablePeace77
There is a main reason for this faculty - a husband 😀 with a short fuse. If I lost control of myself, the storm would last a lot longer. I learned to stay silent with a concerned look and he would quickly run out of arguments.
@Fradiga
Sounds like a good way to handle the situation! 👍
