By Nadj Villaver, World Executives Digest |
SUCCESS CAN BE GREATLY PREDICTED BY ONE’S ability to STAY calm under pressure.
– JULIUS ORDONEZ, MASTER COACH
Benchmark CEO and ICF-certified master coach, Julius Ordonez, in a catch-up interview with World Executives Digest recently, shared his thoughts that remaining calm under extreme pressure in the workplace is a great way to predict success.
According to a research conducted by TalentSmart , with more than a million people respondents, 90 percent of top performers are skilled at managing their emotions in times of stress in order to remain calm and in control.
But the big question is “How do they remain calm after all that’s going on?”
Taking the lead from Benchmark Consulting coaches, here are some of the best strategies we’ve gathered to help you avoid being rattled when the situation gets difficult:
- Breathe.
Have you experienced having quick and shallow breaths whenever you’re anxious? This is called hyperventilating, and it can make us feel dizzy, light-headed, and panicky. And sometimes it affects our judgment. The first and the easiest way to lessen the stress is the thing that you do everyday – breathing. In Bradberry’s article in Success, he said that “the practice of being in the moment with your breathing will begin to train your brain to focus solely on the task at hand and get the stress monkey off your back.
The next time you’re stressed, do this:
- Take a couple of minutes to focus on your breathing
- Close the door, put away all other distractions, and just sit in a chair and breathe.
The goal is to spend the entire time focused only on your breathing, which will prevent your mind from wandering. If staying focused on your breathing proves to be a real struggle, try counting each breath in and out until you get to 20, and then start again from 1. Don’t worry if you lose count; you can always just start over.
- Count to 10.
Aside from counting to fall asleep, counting also helps you during stressful times. Here’s Faisal Roque of FastCompany’s advice: take a short break, look at the situation with a fresh pair of eyes while counting to 10. By doing this, you can have the distance you need for a new perspective, making you realize that the problem you’re attacking isn’t the primary issue after all.
- Speak to a mentor or trusted advisor.
Keep this in mind: you are not alone. Instead of trying to work out everything on our own or even try to force something to happen, TedX Speaker and author Neel Raman believes it can be beneficial to speak to a mentor or trusted advisor. They will be able to share new perspectives which will often help make the situation we find ourselves in, a lot easier to cope.
- Never ask “what if?”
If you’re the type of person who always asks the magic words “what if,” then you should immediately erase this from your thoughts. Jacqueline Whitmore said in her article in Entrepreneur that this is the worst question you could ask yourself or others in the middle of a crisis. Why? This question contributes panic and makes you overthink even of situations that aren’t’ and might never happen. What you can do instead? Focus on the facts and work on a solution.
- Limit caffeine intake.
Yes, coffee might keep you awake at the office but drinking caffeine triggers the release of adrenaline. Adrenaline is the source of the “fight-or-flight” response, a survival mechanism that forces you to stand up and fight or run for the hills when faced with a threat, Bradberry said. Instead of reaching for that cup of coffee, soda or an energy drink, hydrate yourself with water.
- Stay positive and SMILE.
Being negative won’t do go to any situation. Positive thoughts help make stress intermittent by focusing your brain’s attention onto something that is completely stress-free. When you look on the bright side of things, the situation seems to be less stressful.
The next time you encountered a difficult situation the office, you can now “keep calm and carry on!”
For more tips on how you can bring out the best in yourself & in your organizations via coaching, training & leadership development, contact Benchmark Consulting at (02) 812 7177 or email us at info@benchmark-consulting.net. You may also visit our website at www.benchmark-consulting.net.
