I’ve gotten much better at staying calm under pressure over the past year. One of the most helpful things I’ve found for this is taking positive action rather than dwelling on the anxious energy I feel in a stressful situation. I also frequently use affirmations to relax myself and push through the fear. And, no matter what happens in any given situation, I always manage to walk away at the end of it; the fear is more often than not worse than the actual event. I appreciate reminders from The Daily Stoic of things like this and I enjoy passing them along so you can enjoy them as well.
“When forced, as it seems, by circumstances into utter confusion, get a hold of yourself quickly. Don’t be locked out of the rhythm any longer than necessary. You’ll be able to keep the heat if you are constantly returning to it.”
-Marculs Aurelius, Meditations, 6.11
We’re going to get caught off guard from time to time. Not just by “black swan” type events – a terrorist attack or a financial panic – but also by minor, unexpected occurrences. Your car battery dies, your friend cancels at the last minute, you suddenly don’t feel well. These situations have a way of throwing us into confusion and disarray. We’ve made an assumption about the world and built plans of top of that assumption. Now that the assumption has collapsed, so too might our organization or understanding.
That’s perfectly OK! It happens. A line of infantrymen will face withering attacks – what’s key is that they don’t allow chaos to reign. Musicians will experience technical difficulties and lose their place from time to time. In both cases, it just matters that they get back into position as quickly as possible.
The same is true for you today. The order and the peace might be interrupted by a new circumstance. OK. Get a hold of yourself and find your way back.