Unflappable
Being unflappable means you stay calm in the chaos. It doesn’t mean you don’t understand the importance of what is happening or that you don’t take it seriously. It just means you don’t get worked up over everything. Staying calm allows you to think things through before reacting, or worse yet, over-reacting.
We are hard-wired with the fight or flight response and for much of human existence, our survival depended on it. Most situations are not life or death. Staying calm lets us process the situation and pick the best strategy for moving forward.
Being unflappable means you don’t overreact. Emotions are contagious. Anger can escalate an already volatile situation. Staying calm during a disagreement fosters more effective communication and can actually defuse the situation.
A little bit of stress can be good for us. It can help motivate us to stay focused so we can reach our goals. But over time, stress can take a toll on our bodies and minds. It raises adrenaline and cortisol levels, which increase our heart rate and blood pressure, and feeling constantly stressed out can lead to heart disease, weight gain, insomnia, depression, and other conditions.
You don’t need to move to the mountains and become a yoga master to become a calmer person. One of the easiest and most important things you can do is focus on breathing. Visualize calming places or things, close your eyes and practice slow, controlled breathing.
Hear are some other ways to decrease stress and have a calmer life:
- Get enough sleep.
- Eat a healthy diet, or at least minimize junk food.
- Unplug from technology, especially social media.
- Nurture yourself. Take a walk, or a nap. Get a massage, or listen to relaxing music.
Being unflappable doesn’t mean I never have a bad day, get stressed out, or overreact. I just strive to be positive, do my best, try to remain calm, and realize that life goes on. In the end, that’s all any of us can really do.
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