I often find myself getting a bit too worked up over stuff that is not an immediate threat to me. And I can tell from much of what I hear on various media that I am not the only one.
Why do we allow ourselves to worry about stuff that will have little effect on us or our loved ones? It seems that we apply the adrenalin-based fight, flight or freeze response to modern threats that do not justify this immediate metabolic reaction.
Most modern problems are best solved with reasoning in our highly evolved cerebral cortex and not by the instinctive, usually emotive reaction in our limbic reptilian brain. But this latter defense mechanism is so instinctual from the million years of evolution when sabre tooth tiger or bear attacks were the greatest threat we faced.
Like many I find myself reacting too strongly to opinions with which I disagree, delays in projects, or other events that have no immediate threat to my personal safety. Why can’t I be cool, calm and collected? We all admire those who can face great danger with a calm demeanor. Why can’t we all face minor inconveniences with calmness?
There are solutions worth trying. Some find meditation helpful. I like using many of the approaches of Neuro Linguistic Programming. What I find most useful is looking at oneself in the third person, as a detached observer. Imagine you are sitting on the ceiling looking down on yourself. What do you see? Imagine that an acquaintance is facing the issue you are facing? How do you think they should react?
Usually when you look at a situation in the third person, you will realize that a more thoughtful reaction is better. You need to develop a habit that when you feel your temper rising, pause, use a Navy SEAL technique and take three breaths counting to six as you inhale and exhale, and then imagine it is a co-worker hearing the bad news you heard. How do you think they should react? Can you react the same?
To quote Monty Python you should remember that you’re standing on a planet that’s evolving and revolving at nine hundred miles an hour. Take a break and look at the Galaxy Song on YouTube. Tomorrow things will be much the same as today. Whatever is bothering you is probably not a great danger. Take a chill pill or have a cold beer. The sun will come out tomorrow.