Wired for Calm: How to Reprogram Your Brain to Handle Stress Better

We all have witnessed such moments when we panic and underperform. The major problem is that we become overwhelmed by certain situations, rendering us unable to handle them effectively. This thing happens with everyone during their lifetime whether it’s a person’s first interview or a famous singer performing on a big stage. 

Staying calm under pressure is an art that you can easily master by learning to control your brain. In this blog, our professionals have included some functional tips for you on how to train your brain to thrive under pressure. If you are looking for the right answer, continue reading.

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Brain Hacks to Handle Stress Better

The major reason behind an impulsive response or no response at all is the stress of getting everything right at the end. It is just a mind game and controlling our mental response will enable us to handle stress better. Here is how you can do it.

1. Implement the Opposite Action Technique

The idea behind the opposite action DBT is the same as it sounds. You have to act exactly opposite to what your stressful emotions are urging you to do. The principle behind this technique is that our emotions respond to our actions. So, if you are feeling lonely, try to engage with more people or if you are feeling angry, try yoga to stay calm. According to research, the opposite action technique causes a significant reduction in the intensity of emotions by up to 50%. 

2. Tackle Distraction

One major reason behind losing control over thoughts is the lack of prioritizing things and even thoughts. Imagine a situation when you are on stage about to give a speech. What will you be focusing on at that time? Most of us will divert our focus to negative thoughts like fear, self-doubts, and stress of bringing perfection rather than attending to the thoughts that truly matter, speech that we had memorized for the day. Learn to choose a focal point for your attention in such situations.

3. Stop Overanalyzing

According to a study, many performers choke down their outputs if they are told to do everything right. The understood reason behind this is that they start to overanalyze themselves during the performance and mess it up. They get panicked by some little happening that normally won’t impact their performance. So, learn to live in the moment by focusing on the upcoming challenges rather than regretting past mistakes.

4. Face Your Fears

We all have a certain fear in our lives. Some of us are fearful of the competitive exams while others dread speaking in front of a wider audience. If your goal is to grow, then it’s time to face your fears to prepare yourself for the final show. Do you have an important interview coming up? Rather than reading and memorizing the answer, ask someone to be your interviewer and practice in some realistic scenarios. Thanks to AI, you now have simulation platforms to analyze how well your preparations are going. 

5. Stay Active Before Final Performance

From students to professionals, I have seen many people cramming more knowledge before their final presentation. Well! It may work if you have left many things in your do-at-the-last-moment list. However, mostly, it just piles up the stress in your mind. Try to stay active by adopting a healthy pre-performance routine like a breathing exercise or a walk that helps you manage your composure during the main event. 

6. Set and Maintain Boundaries

Our personal life begins to get some terrible impacts when we start cramming it into our work life. Stress management is not possible if you are not giving yourself appropriate time to refresh yourself and get ready for the stressful work environment. Learn to set and maintain your boundaries by implementing a stringent work-life balance in your routine. Specify your working hours and ensure a healthy lifestyle with nutritious food along with an appropriate sleeping and exercise routine.

7. Build a Support Network

Staying alone in a stressful and depressive state is never a solution. We all need someone around us to guide us through our hard times and help us to find a way out. It could be your family that helps you manage your personal life or mentors and friends from the workplace who can provide guidance from their real-life experience and help manage work-related stress. Build a supportive community around you to ensure that you always have someone to lean on.

Final Words

Stress makes the situation worse. So, instead of getting overwhelmed try to focus on the positive perspectives of the story and reframe it by controlling your thoughts and getting support from your friends and family. Hence, stress management can help you to improve your vision and shape some better outcomes.