“Mistakes and pressure are inevitable; the secret to getting past them is to stay calm.” Travis Bradberry.

Last week’s blog, featured Vinnie Jones and how he talked about mental health challenges in his tv series Vinnie Jones in the Country. Coincidentally, I realised after I published it that last Friday was World Mental Health Day.

In the blog, I mentioned that we all suffer setbacks, challenges and disappointments in our life. In such challenging times, it’s vital that we have people that we can talk to that won’t judge us and will help us navigate a path to a more settled and smoother life experience. Also developing and maintaining a calm mind helps us to cope with difficult times.

However, there are some things that impact our ability to keep our mind calm. It can be challenging to remain calm when there’s lots of change happening in our life particularly if this is sudden and unexpected. Even planned change can be a bumpy ride in the process of getting from A to B and ultimately achieving great results.

Negative interactions, environments and news stories can have a detrimental effect on our equilibrium and stop us from feeling calm. We can easily feel pressured and stressed by having to respond to many different demands and juggle many priorities.

We have been conditioned to think in terms of instant gratification and results. Today’s fast paced society allows us access to a lot of information and resources quickly. This can leave us feeling overwhelmed and can lead to feelings of anxiety. The major advances in technology like smart phones, laptops and tablets can make us feel like we are always “switched on and connected to the external world.”

There is also a new phenomenon “FOMO” (fear of missing out) which means that many people spend lots of time connected to social media feeds in order to catch up on all the latest news and updates by their connections.

We also have rolling 24/7 news bulletins which allow for major news stories to be brought to us in wall-to-wall coverage which goes into lots of detail. Currently they are telling stories of conflict, division and suffering. Negative news stories affect our mood and impact our ability to stay calm.

All this can mean that our minds struggle to get some quality downtime and have a rest. There’s little time to process and assess information that we come across. The demands of life can mean that we have limited patience to let things unfold naturally.

Here are a few thoughts on things that can help us to be calm and centred: –

Reduce the amount of time spent on technology

Have a cut off time for when to stop checking your phone, emails and social media feeds. Consider a technology detox and give yourself a technology free day (or weekend) every week.

Develop greater patience

It is said that patience is a virtue. Having more patience helps to create more life balance and stops us expecting instant results. Letting life unfold naturally develops inner calm and reduces anxiety.

Develop the “acceptance” habit

Accept things as they are and stop trying to rewrite history. This means that you can focus on being more present and consider options and solutions to resolve challenges.

Externalise thoughts

Get into the habit of doing a mind dump of things that are worrying you or causing anxiety. Regularly record your reflections, lessons, desires and insights in a journal or notebook.

Create some quiet time – no distractions

Schedule some daily time where you are alone with your thoughts. It can be just 5 or 10 minutes. This will allow you to gain valuable insights and allow your inner wisdom to rise to the surface.

Less is more

Focus on fewer things. Get rid of unwanted items and clutter. Reduce the number of goals and tasks that you’re responsible for. Let goals take root rather than giving them superficial attention.

This week, why not pause for a few moments to reflect. Consider what action you can take to develop and maintain a calm mind.

To arrange a free no obligation consultation, please contact Stephen Pauley via the contact form or by e mail: Stephen@befirstclass.co.uk