Staying calm in a stressful situation

Here’s a story shared by Joey in the “Living Water" January – December 2016 issue: “We were on a flight from Caticlan, Aklan to Manila. The flight attendant was pouring water in a glass for me. The passenger in front of me swung his arm backward as if to stretch it. He hit the flight attendant’s arm, causing the full glass of water to splash on my shirt and pants. Her eyes widening, she probably thought, “O, MY God! What have I done?” Her apologies were very profuse, but I just waved it off and assured her, “It’s all right. No problem!” After all, it wasn’t her fault. She left quickly and brought me a thick wad of tissue.”

Joey’s reaction was admirable. He confided, “Sometimes people do things unintentionally. The Bible says, 'Your own soul is nourished when you are kind; it is destroyed when you are cruel' (Proverbs 11:17,TLB.) It is patience, kindness, gentleness, meekness, and self-control that make for true Christ-likeness.”

However, in life, there are people or situations that undermine our peace and we can be irritated. When our coolness is challenged, here’s how to react as suggested by “wikiHow.com”:

Stop what you’re doing. One of the best ways to calm down if you’re already feeling stressed is to stop interacting with the stressor if possible.  Sometimes even taking a few seconds before you head back into the situation can be enough to help you cool down.

Take a break. For example, if an argument with your spouse is getting heated stop and excuse yourself for a moment by saying something like, “I’m feeling a little overwhelmed right now. I need to take a 15- minute break before we continue discussing this.”

Take some deep breaths. When your body enters a “fight or flight mode”, your nervous system can seriously mess your breathing. Inhale slowly through your nose. Aim to breathe in for a 4-count if you can. You should feel your belly expand along with your chest as you inhale. This is diaphragmatic breathing. Hold the breath for 1-2 seconds. Then slowly exhale through your nose or mouth. Aim to exhale for a 4-count if you can. Repeat this process 6-10 times.

Get some exercise.  Exercise is a natural mood-booster because it releases endorphins, a natural chemical that makes you feel calm and happy.

Choose your response. In general, you have two responses when you face stress.  You can choose to change either the situation or your response to it. Even if you’re powerless to change  the source of your stress, you have the power to choose how you’ll respond to it.

Getting the habit of hitting things while angry make you a violent or aggressive person. It’s better to diffuse your anger than to try to take it out on other people or things. Never hit a person or other living thing. If you want to hit any inanimate object be sure it won’t hurt you.