Stress vs. Personal Peace

When it seems like stress is building and you are about to lose your cool, a simple technique can help you regain your balance and reduce stress in the moment.

Pause. Take a break. Preserve your personal peace. Let the the conflicts, frustrations, tensions or emotions ebb and flow while you manage yourself.

Here are seven ways to pause in the midst of escalating stressful situations.

1. Breathe. It’s tried and true. Take several slow, deep breaths to steady yourself. Pay attention to the rising and falling of your abdomen as you inhale and exhale.

2. Close your eyes. Even for a moment, shut out the stressful scene and remind yourself you have a choice on how to respond. Refocus your intention and energy on what you want for yourself — maintaining your balance and inner peace in this situation. You may not be able to control the outer circumstances, but you can choose to control your reactions.

3. Imagine a peaceful scene. Take a mental vacation for a few seconds. Place yourself in your most peaceful fantasy and let this be a touchstone for preserving your personal peace in the stressful situation.

4. Tell yourself a joke. Make up a joke about the current situation or roll out the punch line of an old favorite. Find the humor in the situation or the humor in your outlook on life. Lightening up will help keep things in perspective. If you’re going to laugh and tell stories about this in two weeks, you might as well start laughing now.

5. Walk away. Whether you hike to another room, to the park, or through the back woods, you’ll be gifting yourself with a time out from the mounting stress and tension. A few minutes or a few hours can make all the difference in how you decide to handle matters and maintain your own personal peace.

6. Take a nap. Rest and regenerate. Come back to handle the situation with renewed energy, focus and intention. You will likely find it easier to hold in your personal peace.

7. Sleep on it. Defer a response. Let the stressful situation wait, whatever it is. Allow your inner wisdom to balance things out and possibly provide clear answers and action steps overnight. You may have a new perspective with much less stress in the morning when you are rested.