In the midst of the din, calm down. In the midst of fear and the buzz of uncertainty and panic, calm down. Only a calm and relaxed mental approach can help us harness our psychological strength. It is time to awaken it and make use of it.
Last update: June 05, 2020
It is not easy to find calm amidst the chaos. It is not easy to keep your balance when you are overwhelmed, when the wind blows your hair whispering messages of fear that taste of uncertainty in our ears.
We have a tendency to play ahead, to respond to the panic that assails us in a precipitous manner, with our minds and emotions. In these situations, the ideal is to find calm.
The word "fear" has much deeper roots than a momentary malaise. In itself it contains the whole kaleidoscope of sensations ranging from the phantom of the most irrational behavior to our most integral responses. Because recognizing fear and dealing with it proactively, to find a solution to the problem, is possible.
As psychiatrist Karl Augustus Menninger pointed out, it is possible to educate the means to learn to take firmer steps. As easy as it may be, it is perhaps the most complex and traumatic act for a human being.
Because when chaos knocks on the door and takes our calm away, the mind risks losing control. And the worst thing is that it can infect the minds of others making fear a common enemy of extraordinary dimensions.
In these contexts, calm must be found. A dimension that can be trained to be able to contain the monster of fear, anxiety and irrational behavior.
In the midst of chaos, we need to take a calm mindset
There are people who have fallen ill (metaphorically) due to the flood of bad news broadcast on television, on the radio and on social networks. Partly because the disturbing data, the disturbing facts and the negative messages seem to cloud the positive ones.
On average, negative news is always shared sooner than hopeful news. And we often do this without making sure in advance that the information shared is truthful or not.
Well, information is a means of power and it is everyone's right to be able to dispose of it and stay in touch with immediate reality. But there are times when circumstances and certain facts appear oppressive and awaken a single feeling in us: that of impotence.
Not knowing what could happen tomorrow is undoubtedly one of the sensations that most frightens and limits us. We are creatures used to having control over immediate reality (or at least to think so). Experiencing the sudden feeling of being in the midst of chaos, that what we took for granted yesterday is no longer so, it hurts and upsets us. What can we do in these cases?
To find calm you have to accept that you cannot have control over everything
Contexts of uncertainty foment anxiety. To this is added another factor: the context, the information we receive, the people around us, infecting us with their emotions and fears ... Nothing increases anguish as much as not knowing, like uncertainty.
An example: it is much worse not to know if we will lose our job than to be sure that we have lost it. The brain reacts unexpectedly. For this, it is essential to learn to tolerate uncertainty.
We have to accept that even if we do not have control over certain things, we will always be able to control our reactions.
Acting calmly is ideal. It represents the mental approach by which to respond in the most right, reasonable and safe way giving the best of us.
Eliminate catastrophic thoughts to clear your mind and find calm
In the midst of chaos, catastrophic thoughts only sink us. Overwhelmed by difficulties, in a scenario full of doubts and problems, the mind must be our ally and not turn into an opponent that slows down our steps.
It is absolutely vital to learn to sweep away from our daily approach the feelings that numb, fuel fear and increase problems rather than approaching the solution.
We need to be aware of this and eliminate the negative inner dialogue. Calm must be a beacon capable of guiding us in the dark.
In the midst of chaos ... who chooses to be?
In difficult times, answering the question “who do you want to be” can help us get out of the chaos. The hero or the victim? Who was helpful or who made the situation worse? A person to be proud of or a figure who has chosen stillness and panic?
We choose, we decide what the mark we will leave will be in those days when we are forced to give the best of ourselves.
In a crisis scenario, calm is a companion capable of tracing serene and safe paths. With it at our side, we see things clearer and this allows us to react proactively and responsibly.
It's time to activate it, it is time to act together with serenity, intelligence and ease in a present of changes and uncertainties.
