How to remain calm in stressful situations

( Natural News ) Prepping can sometimes be stressful, but you need to be calm when disaster strikes, especially if you are the leader of your family or survival group.

When facing a disaster, how you react may decide the outcome. Staying calm ensures that you can make the right decision in time-sensitive scenarios.

Below are some strategies that can help you stay calm in high-pressure situations after SHTF. (h/t to Survivopedia.com ) Avoid alcohol and drugs

High-pressure situations aren’t always straightforward. Even if only one thing goes wrong, it can derail the rest of your emergency preparedness plans.

When this happens, you need as much control as possible.

But this can be tricky if you are drunk or on drugs, so it’s best to limit your intake of alcohol or drugs. If possible, avoid these substances completely.

If you are sober and clear-headed when SHTF, you can quickly make decisions for yourself or your family.

According to studies, smoking can increase anxiety even though some people use it to relieve stress. Experts think this is because nicotine is a stimulant, and anxiety is a common side effect of smoking.

You should also avoid stimulants like caffeine during stressful situations. High-caffeine beverages like coffee or energy drinks can make you feel more stressed and increase your blood pressure.

Stimulants like caffeine and depressants like alcohol will negatively affect your performance in high-pressure situations like a natural disaster.

Research shows that alcohol increases your body’s cortisol secretion over time. Short-term effects of this include impairing your body’s ability to think critically and make the best decisions in stressful situations. Breathing exercises

If you are looking for a simple way to stay calm when you are stressed, try breathing exercises. These exercises can help your body feel calmer.

There are psychological and physiological reasons behind this strategy. Breathing increases the flow of oxygen to your brain.

While this process happens daily, it can be crucial when you are facing stressful situations. When you breathe, you stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS).

The PNS works to relieve your body when you are stressed. It’s also a critical part of digestion and other bodily processes.

If you are stressed and overwhelmed, try breathing exercises . Deep breaths are particularly helpful when trying to reduce stress.

First, find a quiet place without any distractions. Inhale through your nose for five seconds, then exhale from your mouth for five seconds.

Repeat the exercise 10 times until you feel calmer. Doing breathing exercises for several minutes can significantly impact your stress levels. Eat stress-reducing foods

People deal with stress in different ways. Unfortunately, some people binge eat when they are stressed.

Instead of reaching for candy or a bag of potato chips, eat healthy foods that can help reduce stress.

Eating the right kinds of food can help lower your stress levels and keep your mind focused.

To reduce stress, focus on the hormone cortisol. It is directly responsible for your stress levels and cortisone can affect factors like your blood pressure, sleep, inflammation and other health factors.

While cortisol is good for your body, you need to maintain a balance to avoid adverse effects. Too much cortisol can result in high stress and other health problems.

This is where superfoods come in.

Foods that can assist your cortisone levels include: Vitamin B-rich foods like beef, chicken , eggs, fortified cereal, nutritional yeast and organ meats can help fight cortisol levels and improve metabolism

Foods high in unsaturated fats like avocados, chia seeds, salmon and walnuts can help reduce inflammation and regulate your cortisol levels. Foods rich in magnesium like avocados, bananas , broccoli, dark chocolate, pumpkin seeds and spinach can also help when you are stressed. Get enough sleep High-pressure situations can consume your thoughts and while you can prepare before SHTF, you should ensure your overall health by getting enough sleep .Sleep quality at night significantly affects how you function the next day. It can be hard to maintain a regular sleep schedule during a survival scenario, but you need to get enough rest so your body and mind can recover.As you sleep throughout the night, your body refuels itself so you are ready for the next day. Not getting enough sleep can raise your cortisol levels.If you have trouble sleeping, talk to your doctor about natural remedies like melatonin or herbal remedies. Read inspirational quotes Reading may be the last thing on your mind when SHTF, but seeing inspirational quotes can help set your mind at ease when things are stressful.Write down quotes from your favorite authors, or inspire yourself with quotes from great leaders like President Franklin D. Roosevelt. In his inauguration speech, Roosevelt said “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”If you are having doubts, take out your notebook and read your favorite quotes aloud. Reframe the situation Your mindset can change how you deal with your situation. If you are worried about being overwhelmed with stress, learn how to reframe the scenario.Don’t stress yourself by worrying about all the things that can go bad. Prepare for likely scenarios, then spin things positively so you can focus on helping others survive.If you are dealing with a nationwide power outage because of an attack on the energy grid, think of how prepared you are for a blackout.Use your skills to provide for your family and stay calm so you can assess the situation. Try stress-reducing activities If you are too stressed to function when SHTF, take a break and relax with some stress-reducing activities.Here are some activities that can help you relieve stress and remain calm: Chew gum – According to studies, chewing gum may reduce stress by lowering your salivary cortisol, which is the stress you can find in your saliva. Listen to music – Throughout the ages, people have used music to calm themselves and relax their minds. Play relaxing classical music, folk music, or your favorite music genre to calm yourself while facing a stressful situation. Listening to music triggers dopamine production in your body and positively affects your mood. It may also help improve […]

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