Have you ever flown off the handle when faced with a tricky situation? Reacting to whatever has happened with your first instinct? Then spent many hours, days even, going over and over it in your head, wishing that you had said or done something different.
The truth is, when you are faced with a tricky situation, you usually have at least two options! But you don’t always give yourself the time to stop and think about them.
The first option is usually your quickest reaction. Your first instinct. But choosing this doesn’t always result in the best outcome. And it can result in you giving your power to the person who caused the tricky situation, because you have reacted quickly.
The second option tends to reveal itself when you take a moment and calm down. It is usually a more reasonable response to the situation you find yourself in and will most likely enable you to keep your power (and your head).
That said, it’s not always easy to stop and take that moment!
But if you possibly can, take yourself away or be silent and calm in the moment. What you want to do first, is ground yourself so that you are in a position to handle whatever is happening. There are many ways to do this.
I like the idea of the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique:
- Name 5 things you can see and look at each thing.
- Name 4 things you can hear and close your eyes to listen to each noise.
- Name 3 things you can feel and feel them.
- Name 2 things you can smell and take in their scent.
- Name 1 thing you can taste and enjoy it.
You can find out more about grounding techniques on the Calm website.
Once you are calm, you will be in a better state of mind to decide whether you allow the situation to control you, or you control the situation.
That pause should give you some balance back and the time and resources to consider the best possible outcome for you.
Do you want to give that power to the person causing the tricky situation?
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