Emotions are a part of life. It doesn’t matter who you are, at some point in your life you’ve probably lost your cool and just felt like exploding. Whether it was during an argument or when you needed to defend yourself for something, once emotions are running hot it can be tricky to find a way back down.
Difficult conversations are just that, difficult. No one looks forward to an argument or a heated moment of confrontation. And while you usually don’t prepare for a moment where emotions run hot, there are steps you can take to keep cool and not let things get out of hand. Humans are hard-wired for fight or flight mode, so it can be difficult to back down once you’ve committed to attacking. It is up to you to center yourself and find a sense of calm before anything gets way out of control. So the next time you’re involved in a heated moment, remember these few tips to help you keep your cool.
Pause the Conversation
Things can get out of hand in the blink of an eye. One way to find that middle ground again is to simply take a pause. Rather than continuing to yell and come up with more arguments, make the decision to douse the fire and stop the conflict. Strong emotions can drive you to make choices you wouldn’t otherwise make. Get in the habit of taking these strong feelings as a warning sign that something else may be at work here. Hit pause on the conversation before anything goes beyond a point of no return.
Focus on Breath
This may seem like a simple tactic, but taking deep breaths absolutely calms you down. When your body goes into fight or flight mode, your heart rate increases and your body can easily be triggered into attacking. Controlling your breathing techniques actually works to slow your heart rate and allow your body to relax into a more reasonable place of peace rather than aggression. Plus, if you turn your focus from your anger to your breathing, you may forget what made you so upset in the first place. It helps simmer emotions in more ways than one.
Take a Smoke Break
Sometimes when emotions run high, you turn to old coping mechanisms. Think of how many old sitcoms and dramas have characters go outside for a smoke break when they’re stressed out at work. This solution can work for modern-day as well, but rather than the dangers of nicotine, consider hemp cigarettes cbd. While CBD is an ingredient in marijuana, CBD oil or hemp alone does not contain THC, and therefore, does not lead to a high. A CBD cigarette will simply help calm your nerves and ease anxiety. So if you’re looking for that calming effect of smoking and the benefits CBD products can give you to cool off during an emotional altercation, look no further than CBD cigarettes.
Analyze Your Feelings
It can be easy to get worked up when you just focus on emotions rather than their cause or the narrative surrounding them. Your anger only grows when you commit to that feeling, but it can diminish when you start to question it. Ask yourself: why am I feeling this way? Is this emotion warranted? Why am I allowing this to take over my thoughts? Once you analyze and label your feelings, you can calm them easier.
Focus on Your Side
When in an argument, it’s easy to blame everything on the other person. But blame only leads to defensiveness and more frustration. When engaging, try your best to use language focused on your feelings rather than attacking the other person. Screaming “you’re wrong” or “you’re stupid” isn’t going to be productive. Rather try things like “I feel this is ineffective“ or ”I am feeling upset and unhappy.” Flip the narrative to stop emotions from getting out of control.
