How to Stay Calm in Emergency Situations: 5 Tips for Daily Life
Emergencies can cause increased stress. An already difficult situation can become even harder if you don’t remain calm. Stress affects the body in many ways. With excess stress, the body goes into fight or flight mode, overproducing cortisol, the stress hormone.
This hormone can slow down the front part of the cerebral cortex, making it difficult to think clearly and function effectively. Essentially, you lose control. Don’t succumb to the pressure, stay calm with a few of these techniques.
Why does this happen? It’s explainable from the standpoint of evolutionary theory. The fight-or-flight mechanism that can cause paralysis or loss of consciousness is part of our behavioral arsenal that ensured the survival of our ancient ancestors. And while the modern world doesn’t present us with the same dangers as our predecessors, and three of the four reactions described are meaningless from a survival perspective, only flight is functional for our salvation.
The good news is that we can learn to remain calm in an emergency. And these tips will help you survive.
Learn to Adapt
Almost every day we are faced with a situation that doesn’t go according to plan. Even while playing at https://www.cookiecasino.com/en-CA/games/live or cooking your lunch, you can face some unexpected challenges. Experts say that people who practice adapting instead of resisting unforeseen circumstances are more calm in general. The next time something small goes wrong during the day, see it as an opportunity to practice an important survival skill.
Take Time to Educate Yourself
The most important thing you can do to stay calm is to be relatively sure you know what to do. Learn basic first aid, prepare a first aid kit (at a minimum) with basic medications and basic dressings, and learn survival skills. You can even watch a few instructional videos on YouTube. The more you know, the less likely you are to panic.
Focus on the Goal
The magnitude of events during an emergency can overwhelm many people. Practice ignoring everything but what you’re doing and learn to focus on one task at a time. If a house is on fire, focus on getting people out. If you are performing CPR, do just that. If you are calling emergency services, focus only on talking to the operator and nothing else.
Breathe Properly
In emergency situations, your body naturally goes into “hit or run” mode. You usually start breathing rapidly and shallowly with your upper chest, as if you are running away from danger. You can overcome this by consciously taking long, deep breaths that feel like they are filling your belly rather than your lungs. Tell your body that you are calm and the mind will follow.
Demonstrate Self-Care
For a large segment of the population, panic and anxiety don’t go away when the emergency is over. Emergencies or the threat of an emergency can cause prolonged panic, anxiety and worry, which can interfere with clear thinking in everyday life.
Keep in mind that panic is a natural reaction to stress, and it’s important to learn how to cope. If necessary, don’t hesitate to seek help from professionals who work with mental and emotional health issues. Discuss your feelings and emotions with a qualified professional who can provide you with the support and coping resources you need.
