Keep Cool.

"A man of calm is like a shady tree. People who need shelter come to it." -Rudolph Giuliani

Sometimes we find ourselves getting so caught up in a moment that our heart rate increases, our palms get sweaty and we feel the blood rush to our cheeks out of an emotion that has caught us off guard. This can happen in any situation for example serving a difficult customer at work, getting frustrated when you can't find something or even just getting flustered at the sight of a cute boy.

In these situations it is important to keep cool, calm and collected not just for the benefit for the other person but also for the benefit of yourself. You are the one who looks bad if you snap at the annoying customer, you are the one who looks bad when you are late because you couldn't find your keys and you are the one who looks bad when you do something embarrassing in front of your crush.

Here are a few tips to keep cool, calm and collected:
1. Look at the bigger picture; is this really important?
2. Remember, people are just people. They are nothing to be afraid of.
3. Think cool thoughts e.g. "nobody's perfect"(you can sing a little Hannah Montana here too)
4. Imagine the other person in their underwear trying to do something you are good at.
5. BREATHE!

I, myself, am still trying to master these techniques. The difficulty of mastering controlling your emotions became apparent to me today when I almost lost it at several customers at work. I have now realised that in order to save my dignity, my job and my mental health I am going to have to work on staying cool, calm and collected even in the most frustrating situations. I'll let you know how it goes...

Love, Nicole Marie