How to be the calm within the storm

After publishing a blog post on the benefits of
remaining calm at work, the next logical step is to share some strategies on
how to actually do it. The following tips I’ve pulled together from articles,
my own experience and my observations of others. Enjoy!

Tips on remaining calm
at work:

1. Aim to remain calm

Perhaps the most important step in remaining calm in any
situation is to make a conscious decision to try and do it. Setting a goal
means that you’re more likely to monitor your emotions and take steps to
control them.

2. Keep work in perspective

When you are facing pressure at work, take a moment to put
the situation in perspective. How important is this task in relation to the
other aspect of your life? If you were to fail at this task, miss a deadline,
what are the consequences? Bear in mind that you’re likely to be supported by
your colleagues and your boss if you’ve had other successes at work. Lastly, be
sure to remember that it’s only work!

3. Consciously control your emotions

During one of the training sessions at work, we learned
about the concept of an emotional “pause button”. We were taught that it’s each
one of us who is in control of our reactions and even our emotions.

We were asked to visualize our partner returning home late
from work, for the third time this
week, when s/he knew we had a dinner
party planned. We were then told to pause and visualize that our partner hasn’t
been delayed at work, but has actually been involved in a car accident.

Obviously the emotional responses between your partner being
delayed at work and being involved in an accident are very different. The point
of course, is that we each have the ability to pause and even control our emotional
responses. The next time you feel yourself becoming stressed or agitated, choose
to pause and remain calm.

4. Exercise

The connection between exercise and stress relief is well documented.

5. Stretch

I have found that regular stretching relaxes the body and
the mind.

6. Breathe deeply

Another well researched suggestion is to practice taking
slow and deep breaths to calm yourself.

7. Meditate

I’ve mentioned meditating in relation to generating creative ideas, but it’s also been shown to reduce stress.

8. Ask an expert for advice

If you know someone at your work that has an amazing ability
to remain calm in any situation, ask them how they are able to achieve it. Chances
are good that they’ll b able to expand on my list above.

Why be the calm within the storm

“Be consistently calm – irrespective of the situation” was a
piece of advice my manager gave me early in my career. The following list briefly
outlines the benefits of keeping your cool at work; some obvious, some perhaps
less so.

Benefits of remaining
calm:

1. It’s good for your health

The negative impacts to your health of stress are well documented.

2. Calmness and clarity of thought leads to better
decisions

It is very easy to fall into the trap of making decisions
based on emotion, not logic.  For
example, no matter how much effort or money has gone into a project, if the
future benefits do not exceed the current and future costs, then the project
should be immediately cancelled.

3. Your staff members are more likely to inform you of issues

If your staff members are fearful of your response to bad
news, they will seek to hide issues as opposed to raising them so that they can
be properly addressed. What you don’t
know, can definitely hurt you.

4. You will gain respect

The ability to make calm and considered decisions in stressful
situations will gain you respect. I used to work with a colleague who,
while reasonably competent, was excessively nervous at work. Unfortunately it
depleted the confidence his superiors had in his abilities, which ultimately
impacted his career progression.

5. It’s something you can take pride in.

Given that so few people actively control their emotions, achieving
this feat is worthy of great pride.

Although this is only a brief summary of the benefits of
staying calm at work, I hope that it is sufficiently convincing that you now
aspire to be the calmest person in the room. Be sure to subscribe to this blog so
that you receive my next post on the strategies that I employ to manage my
emotions.