Don't Panic
Panic causes tunnel vision. Calm acceptance of danger allows us to more easily assess the situation and see the options. -Simon Sinek
I can’t think of a single moment in my life where panic resolved anything. I can think of plenty of times in my life where I panicked and it only made things worse. I’ve been thinking about this lately and about how my life has changed as I’ve gotten older and (hopefully) a bit wiser. I’m much more calm in stressful situations than I used to be, and I’m all the better for that.
The thing about panic is that it’s tied to our fight or flight response to stressful circumstances. Back in the days of cavemen, where the threat of being chased down by a saber toothed tiger was real, fight or flight served a certain purpose - preservation of life. This is still true today in extreme circumstances, but the majority of us live very different lives than our ancestors. Today we might find our adrenaline spiked by someone at work confronting us and we go into panic (fight or flight) mode. Since this isn’t a life or death situation, there is no need to panic, no need to fight or run from the situation. Instead, a calm approach is better.
When we’re in panic mode, our bodies shut down certain systems. You may notice that you’re no longer hungry when in an argument or stressful situation. That’s because your body has slowed down your digestive system to focus on your energy on fight or flight. The above quote is also true, panic causes tunnel vision. We often don’t make good choices in panic mode. We say things we later regret, we do things we wouldn’t normally do. This, again, is because we’re in self preservation mode when it’s not necessary.
So the question everyone asks when I bring this subject up is how does one not panic. It seems to happen in an instant, so how can it be controlled? I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the only way to train for stressful situations is to train in stressful situations. That’s why Marine Corps Recruit Training (bootcamp) is so intense. In order to prepare for combat, you’ve got to prepare like you’re in combat. You can’t simply decide in the moment that you won’t panic. You have to train, and you have to do it by inviting stress into the training.
One popular practice is taking cold showers. The idea is to focus on your breathing and keep it calm and normal while being hit by the cold water. You likely won’t get it down the first time, but with several attempts it is possible to breath normally and not hyperventilate in a cold shower.
Another practice is meditation. This doesn’t sound like what I was talking about because it’s supposed to be a peaceful practice. But I’m not talking about meditating in a quiet room alone. I’m talking about meditating in the midst of chaos. It’s easier to tune the world out if you create your environment, but it does a whole lot more good to practice in an environment you don’t control. Can you tune out the kids blaring the TV and arguing while your dog is barking and your neighbors are arguing on their front step? That’s real meditation.
My favorite go-to is breathing exercises. I do these when I’m in low level stress situations like a problem I can’t figure out or when something is worrying me. There are lots of different exercises but the one I usually stick with involves breathing in deeply through the nose for 4 seconds, holding it in for 3 seconds, then breathing out of the mouth for 4 seconds. I repeat this until I’m calm. Then, when I’m in higher level stress situations, having practiced the breathing on other occassions, I’m more mindful to do it in the moment when I may otherwise find myself in fight or flight.
I feel like this is something I need to talk more about in the future, so I’ll think over some more things to say and for now I’ll leave you to practice in low level stress situations so that you can not panic when higher level stress presents itself.