Travis Bradberry, the author of Emotional Intelligence 2.0, has written a very worthwhile article called “How Successful People Stay Calm”. The article covers some of the basics of stress, and then lists ten practices people use in times of crisis to stay calm. You might have run across some of the ten practices elsewhere, but as Bradberry says:
“Some of these strategies may seem obvious, but the real challenge lies in recognizing when you need to use them and having the wherewithal to actually do so in spite of your stress.”
This is certainly true. Many of us know of practices that can help deal with stress, but the key is remembering to use them when they are actually needed. Stressful events have a way of grabbing our full attention in the moment; perhaps keeping Bradberry’s list handy would be useful.
Bradberry’s article is available here and recommended.
