We can’t be calm and in control all the time, can we? Julian Hall, founder of Calm People, an organisation that helps individuals with anger management and emotional resilience, would disagree.
“That grumpiness comes from not feeling emotionally strong,” he says. “We have a tendency to bottle up our feelings in this country or, to put it another way, not to process them. If we build up our emotional resilience, we find it much easier to cope with whatever life throws at us.”
To build emotional strength he says there are three core areas that need to be addressed – “dealing with stress, processing feelings and building up self-esteem”.
Here are seven ways to address these factors and become calmer and more emotionally resilient.
How to calm down
Learn how to tackle stress in a healthy way with these seven tips. Remember, you don’t have to follow these tips perfectly to find calm – don’t put too much pressure on yourself and have fun.
1. Keep a journal
Writing about feelings can help us process them. A University of California study found activity in the amygdala (the part of the brain which controls the intensity of emotions) was reduced by regular writing – especially if done by hand. The study found that keeping a journal was more effective for male participants.
“We often have events that continually play in our minds,” says Julian. “Writing them down is a way of emptying the head.”
