How to Stay Calm in a Stressful Situation

Staying calm is necessary in stressful situations. Whether you are at home or in public, keeping your head about you while you're under stress will prevent you and others from being injured or getting into trouble. This may not be easy by any stretch, but your ability to take control of a situation and keep control will work to your advantage.

Instructions

• 1

  First and foremost, be aware of your surroundings at all times. Staying constantly aware will allow you to notice changes to your environment that could escalate into an unpleasant situation. If you're in public, watch the people around you. Being observant and cautious is not the same as staring people down. You can watch the environment and the people in it, by quickly scanning areas.

• 2

  Use your intuition. Do you have a gut feeling? Monitor it to see how you are feeling. Is it a fleeting feeling or is it just there with no hint of letting up? Go to an area where you feel safe. Lock your car doors, if you are driving. Stay observant. Focus on what you are doing.

• 3

  If you find yourself at the scene of an accident or a crime, take a deep breath and assess the situation carefully. Notice as much as you can. Keep your eyes out for danger areas or areas of interest that you may need to point out to the police or rescuers. Many times, people don't play close enough attention to detail and give inaccurate descriptions and information.

• 4

  Don't try to diffuse a bad situation on your own. Enlist the help of others. If you are at the scene of an accident, a fight or other disturbance, call 911. If you are assisting someone, have another person call 911 and then direct that person to keep an eye out for the police or ambulance so they don't miss you.Have someone else assist with crowd control or to help you stabilize anyone who is injured.

• 5

  If you are at home, stay organized. Make evacuation plans for your family, in case of a fire or other emergency. Stay focused on what you are doing. Make lists and go over them often to remind yourself of things that may need to be done in an emergency. Post notes near doors or in hallways as to where someone in that area is supposed to go if they need to get out of the house quickly. Choose a safe place to meet once outside.

• 6

  Always stay focused. If you are in control of yourself, others will remain in control as well. If someone begins to get out of hand or lose his composure, move him away from the situation. Staying in control will allow you to be more observant and make sure that things get done in a timely manner and with reduced risks to others.

• 7

  Be exact in your directions. Let people know exactly what needs to be done. Vague directions cause confusion and can result in the situation becoming worse or out of control completely. Be firm, but not abusive.