Thursday, November 14, 1996

Relax Under Pressure

Imagine yourself in a difficult situation with your boss, your spouse, your child, an irate customer. The other person is very angry and tense, and you are the target of their anger. How do you react? Do you meet fire with fire, become defensive, raise your voice? Does that really accomplish anything?

Have you ever thought of consciously trying to relax when the world around you is tense, upset or irritated? When the pressure is really on, you can dramatically improve your own performance by remaining calm and relaxed.

Impossible? No, not at all. You always have complete control over your emotions, your actions. You can choose to be angry and tense, or you can choose to be relaxed. Realize that your reaction is just that, a reaction. You are not under the control of the other person.

Say to yourself, “I am going to take a deep breath, relax my shoulders, my neck, my back, and meet this situation with calmness. Rather than giving the power over my thoughts to this other person, I will keep control of my own thoughts and work to resolve this situation."

Even when the anger and tension is not specifically directed at you, an attitude of calm relaxation and control can help you to make the best of any situation.

— Ralph Marston

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Copyright ©1996 Ralph S. Marston, Jr. All Rights Reserved. The Daily Motivator is provided for your personal, non-commercial use only. Other than personal sharing, please do not re-distribute without permission.