How to Keep Your Cool During a Stressful Situation
Joseph Baylon
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Imagine this. It is your first duty as a medical intern at a local hospital. Suddenly, the emergency room door opens. A stretcher had been wheeled at you with a man lying and unconscious. You can 
hear crying and screaming coming from relatives at the other end of the room.
As you look over your shoulder, most of your collegues are busy with other patients. It's just you, the patient, and his relatives. Everybody's counting on you to save his life. What do you do?
Most of us will never encounter life and death situations, or something as stressful as this, but in our lives we have experienced stress in various degrees and difficulties. Be it a term paper due, a job interview, or a family fued, people tend to look at stress differently. Some people handle stress with a lot of positive attitude and some give up entirely.
In moments like these, you should always remain clear-headed and calm, for you to assess the problems at hand. Below are a few tips to keep your cool during stressful situations.
1. Breathe.
This is the first response to a stressful situation. Take a nice deep breath before going through the task at hand. It will also help you clear your mind and assess the problem. Keeping a calm attitude can help in figuring out what to do next. It will also help you overcome your fear and not let the problem consume you. So, when you feel like fainting or running away, stop for a while. Inhale. Exhale.
2. Respond appropriately.
The way to respond is based on two choices: either you ignore the stress, or you face it. Give yourself time to identify what really caused your sudden anxiety and stress.
Is it a small stressor? Will it go away if you ignore it, or will it become a bigger issue? Is the stressor from your past, or will it affect your future? You have to choose a response that will benefit you in the end. Try to figure out its impact in your life once you decide what to do.
3. Don't be a worrier.
If the situation is out of your control, don't sweat it. Avoid worrying about small stuff. If it is not that important, forget about it. Think about things that would make you happy, like your family (be sure that they are not the cause of your stress).
As you look over your shoulder, most of your collegues are busy with other patients. It's just you, the patient, and his relatives. Everybody's counting on you to save his life. What do you do?
Most of us will never encounter life and death situations, or something as stressful as this, but in our lives we have experienced stress in various degrees and difficulties. Be it a term paper due, a job interview, or a family fued, people tend to look at stress differently. Some people handle stress with a lot of positive attitude and some give up entirely.
In moments like these, you should always remain clear-headed and calm, for you to assess the problems at hand. Below are a few tips to keep your cool during stressful situations.
1. Breathe.
This is the first response to a stressful situation. Take a nice deep breath before going through the task at hand. It will also help you clear your mind and assess the problem. Keeping a calm attitude can help in figuring out what to do next. It will also help you overcome your fear and not let the problem consume you. So, when you feel like fainting or running away, stop for a while. Inhale. Exhale.
2. Respond appropriately.
The way to respond is based on two choices: either you ignore the stress, or you face it. Give yourself time to identify what really caused your sudden anxiety and stress.
Is it a small stressor? Will it go away if you ignore it, or will it become a bigger issue? Is the stressor from your past, or will it affect your future? You have to choose a response that will benefit you in the end. Try to figure out its impact in your life once you decide what to do.
3. Don't be a worrier.
If the situation is out of your control, don't sweat it. Avoid worrying about small stuff. If it is not that important, forget about it. Think about things that would make you happy, like your family (be sure that they are not the cause of your stress).
Keeping a calm attitude towards a stressful situation can help in figuring out what to do next. It will also help you overcome your fear and not let the problem consume you.