How to Keep Calm in the Middle of Chaos (When Everything Goes Wrong)

We don’t have total control over everything that goes on in our lives.

Things can also become better or worse in just a matter of seconds.

Given the uncertain and chaotic nature of reality, how can we stay calm while in the midst of it?

In this article, we will discuss why you should learn to be composed and level-headed even when nothing seems to be going according to your plans or expectations.

We’ll go through four strategies that you should consider doing to better handle the complexities and challenges of your personal life and career as a business owner.

A Day in the Life

Bianca began her day with a startling reminder from an alarm clock. She had to get up by 5 AM to prepare a quick cup of coffee for herself. Any later than that, Tyler, her son, would end up missing the school bus. As she whipped up a bigger breakfast for two, the early morning news played in the background.

Rather than feeling relaxed, Bianca started feeling dread because of a massive traffic accident on the route that she usually took to work. The weather report didn’t sound promising as well. She made a mental note to pack an umbrella in her son’s backpack, and another one for herself.

Big mistake.

During breakfast, Tyler spilled his milk all over the kitchen counter, so Bianca had to scramble for a paper towel to keep it from dirtying the floor, too. She wanted to tell him off, but the little boy dashed away with an excuse that he would be late for school. He was right. They have a couple of minutes left to clean the kitchen, dress up for the day, and hurry to the bus stop.

Tyler managed to catch the bus just in time, but Bianca was 15 minutes late for work.

It all went downhill from there. Having a lot of customers means good for the business, but the rush added to Bianca’s stress level. It was also late in the afternoon—as fat drops of rain were pelting down the sky—when she remembered the umbrellas. She didn’t have any, and neither did Tyler.

Should she try to brave the rain and risk getting sick in the process? Or should she wait until it stopped before fetching her son from school? Bianca couldn’t focus on deciding what to do next because of the mountain of work left on her desk.

In the end, the mother and son had to call in sick the following day because of a series of unexpected and demanding circumstances.

What would you have done differently if you were in Bianca’s place? Do you think you will be any better than her in such a situation?

A World of Chaos 

Business owners are no strangers to stress, pressure, and disorder. Those with years of experience believe or have gone through the core principle of Murphy’s Law—”If anything can go wrong, it will.”

Chaos in your business can be as simple as printing the invoice on the wrong kind of paper, or as stressful as your computer crashing when you haven’t hit the save button for the past half hour. It can be further heightened when you have to deal with unreliable vendors, irate customers, or poor-performing employees.

As hard as it may be, failing to keep calm as a business owner will likely have serious repercussions to your long-term success and happiness.

How?

• You won’t be able to perform at your best

Business owners need to manage multiple areas and make some crucial decisions throughout the day. When you’ve got too much going on at the same time,  your ability to think and act tends to be impaired. You can’t concentrate on what you’re supposed to do. Tasks that you could typically finish quickly may become more difficult or complex even when there is nothing different about the task itself. 

• Your body’s defenses against illnesses will be weakened

Stress can put you at a higher risk of developing illnesses because it can prevent your immune system from doing its job. If you’ve noticed that you have been sniffling, sneezing, or coughing more than usual, then those might be a sign that your body is succumbing to your stressful work environment. 

• Your daily struggles may take a toll on your sleep

When we feel overwhelmed or exhausted, falling or staying asleep tends to become an issue. Prolonged sleep deprivation may then lead to more serious health complications that could prevent you from running your business.

• You might put your social relationships at risk

Losing yourself to a chaotic environment can take a toll on your relationships—whether at work or home. Some go through mood swings, while others couldn’t find the same joy that they used to feel over their role as a business owner. As a result, you might find yourself lashing out more frequently at others. Spending quality time with your loved ones and friends can become a chore for you. Over time, these changes could erode the bonds you have, even with the people closest to you.

As you can see, letting yourself be swept away by chaos can cause rippling effects on different aspects of your personal life and business.

4 Strategies to Keep Calm in the Middle of Chaos

While you’re in the midst of it, finding your way back to composure and rationality can be tough but not impossible. You just have to equip yourself with techniques that will allow you to control your reaction and move forward again despite all the madness surrounding you.

Strategy #1: Practice mindful breathing exercises

Breathing isn’t just something that we do without thinking about it. If harnessed well, it can be an essential tool for anyone who works in a fast-paced, high-stress environment.

To perform this, you need to take a short break from whatever you are doing. You can do this whether you’re standing, sitting, or laying down. Close your eyes, and focus all your mental energy on the movement of air in and out of your body. Take at least 4 slow, deep breaths through your nose before resuming your task.

Through this quick exercise, you can calm down your emotions, clear negative thoughts, and realign your focus on what truly matters.

Strategy #2: Create a daily routine

A routine might sound boring, but it can be your anchor to keep yourself sane and stable throughout the day. Beginning your day with a series of morning activities can minimize the amount of decision-making and unnecessary actions that you have to do before even leaving your home.

If you’re feeling lost, your routines at work can give you something to do as you try to re-center yourself and let your subconscious mind work out the other issues that you have to face.

James Clear, author and one of the major proponents of routine-building, emphasizes the importance of chaining our little habits together to improve our performance and achieve our goals. With the help of this technique, you don’t have to think hard about what activities should form part of your daily routine.

Strategy #3: Learn to shift your perspective

One of the reasons we feel so lost and helpless in the middle of chaos is our unmet expectations. We believe in perfection so when things don’t go our way, we become so troubled and upset about the situation. The ideals that do not match reality prevent us from thinking of solutions or being at peace with things that we can’t control.

For example, failing to secure a big contract for your business is not a career-ending moment. Instead, you can use it as a motivator to do better next time, and as a reference on what else you should be improved.

On the personal side of things, losing a loved one does not mean that you will lose yourself to grief or resentment for the rest of your life. You can channel your emotions into something more constructive by thinking of ways how to honor their name or continue their legacy.

Strategy #4: Reach out to a trusted confidante

We are social creatures. While it might be in your nature to keep to yourself when you feel stressed, depressed, or overwhelmed, you might lighten the burden by sharing it with someone who genuinely cares about you. It can be someone from your family, a close friend, or a business partner.

Letting others in may give you further insights on what can be done to restore the order in your life or business. Their points of view can differ from yours, thus allowing you to see things beyond your perspective.

However, even if the person cannot give sound advice, having a sounding board can still help you. As you share your struggles, the emotions you have been bottling up could finally dissipate, and you might even gain sudden but practical realizations during the process.

Moving Forward

We can’t get rid of all the chaos in our lives. Therefore, the key to success and happiness in life is maintaining our inner calm even when everything else seems to be hell-bent on testing our patience and resolve.

This does not come naturally for many of us, but it is something that we can learn by practicing the right strategies whenever we are faced with stressful situations.

What works for me isn’t guaranteed to be effective for you, though. Consider trying out different calming strategies and observe which ones would best match your needs and personality.

Which of our recommended strategies are you interested to try? Do you have other suggestions that you wish to share with us and our readers.

If you need further guidance about overcoming the demands and pressure of being a business owner, I would love to hear from you.