How to keep your cool

The ability to keep your cool is a critical quality in life, and here are five thoughts about how to do it, whatever the provocation, writes Simon Hall. 

spring flowers

I got well and truly trolled when I had my Covid vaccination.

I had the cheek to post on social media how wonderful the staff were at the centre, how efficient and painless it all was, and how grateful I felt to have the jab...

And although most people who commented were supportive, some took the opportunity to tell me I was a stooge, and a sap, and a lot worse besides. 

 

I confess, it did cause me some irritation, and there was a small temptation to respond. 

But a few seconds' calming thought and the annoyance was gone. 

In fact the trolling was actually helpful in inspiring me to write this blog, which I hope will be useful. 

So, well done the trolls.

You did have an impact on me, although not in the way you hoped, riling me and ensnaring me into a public row.

But instead channeling those feelings into something positive. 

(I win, ha ha!)

 

It's a sad fact of life that some people will always do their best to get at you. 

And if they succeed they'll make you feel bad, and stop you performing at your best, and waste your precious time.

Which makes the ability to keep your cool a terrific asset...

So, here are my top five thoughts for how to retain your composure, no matter what the provocation. 

 

Keeping Your Cool Family and Friends Style

This is probably my number one tip for keeping your cool.

Remember that you've got some great things in your life, and they often start with those who love you. 

In my experience, an attempt to get at you commonly stems from a deep unhappiness and inadequacy on the part of the provocateur. 

Someone can't handle the world, they rage and rant, and they want to take it out on you. 

So, the answer is simple - don't let them. 

 

Thinking about your friends and family for a few seconds is a terrific way to keep your cool. 

Imagine the great things you've done together, their smiles, the times you have ahead. 

For me, I love the fact that in most families I would be the high achiever. 

But in mine, I come very much the third of three!

 

If you're not quite so well off on the family and friends front, another way to keep your cool is to look forward to something.

I sometimes think about the simple pleasures like having a day off, reading a paper, drinking a couple of beers, doing some writing.

If you've got a favourite happy place, pop in for a few seconds. 

That's a guaranteed way to help calm you. 

 

Keeping Your Cool Courtesy Of Fresh Air

If you feel your cool starting to fray, get away from the situation and get outside. 

Even if it's raining, lift your face to the sky and rejoice in your freedom.

Some deep breathing of the fresh air can help so much. 

Every town and city has green space for you to find your inner calm, which makes the experience even more effective. 

I love the Botanic Garden here in Cambridge, an oasis of beauty in the heart of the city. 

Just a few minutes here is enough to ease any ordeal of pressure and stress, and help me relax and be ready to keep my cool. 

 

Keeping Your Cool With Exercise

You don't have to strain like you're training for the Olympics to keep your cool with exercise. 

I like to run (although blunder might be a better word, given my lumbering inelegance.)

Even a few minutes of a decent walk can flush calm through your body and mind, and help you to keep your cool. 

And all the better if it's outdoors, somewhere beautiful, surrounded by birdsong, the breeze in the trees, or the running of a stream.

 

Another tip here is if you can find such a peaceful place, turn off your music, put away your phone, and get lost in the moment. 

I never used to believe in mindfulness, until I realised it was just a term for what many of us do instinctively when we need some calm.

it's a beautiful and highly effective way of keeping your cool, no matter what fires you might be fighting.

 

Keeping Your Cool Through Your Past

In my BBC days, I often edited programmes, or covered breaking stories, leading a team against vicious deadlines and huge pressure. 

Colleagues would sometimes ask me how I always managed to keep my cool.

That was commonly the case when I could sense they were getting ragged and needed help. 

For such moments I had a simple solution, one I used time and again. 

I would say to the team:

 

   - We've done this before, we can do it again.

 

It was amazing how much calm that little sentence could spread. 

The team remembered other times when we'd pulled through against the odds, they nodded, we kept going and did what we needed to do.

Falling back on times when you've kept your cool and triumphed, no matter what the odds, can help so much in difficult situations. 

 

Something else worth using here is to remember all you've achieved. 

In difficult times, I sometimes think about the books I've written, the stories I've covered, the places I've visited, the people I've helped, the business I've established...

And that always brings a smile and a welcome sense of calm. 

 

Keeping Your Cool Because You Can

The final point is perhaps the most important.

People try to get you to lose your cool for a reason.

Whether it's to undermine your performance, through jealousy of your achievements and abilities, or just to take out their own inadequacy...

If such people succeed in getting to you, they win. 

And you wouldn't want that, would you? 

So when they try to rile you, and get you to lose your cool, try doing what I do:

 

   - Smile, remember you understand their game, and use that to fortify and enhance yourself.

 

It never fails to work for me, and has the added advantage of turning the tables and getting to them as well!



Looking for something specific?