I don’t know if you saw the speech given to the world leaders, by Greta Thunberg, the 16 year old Swedish girl on climate change, but I thought it should have been sounding alarm bells. I don’t mean about climate change, although I agree we need to take action now, but I mean for her parents.
Greta was clearly emotional about this topic and I think she looked close to the edge. Click here for video. It appears that she is taking the worlds problems on her shoulders, being managed to deliver messages to the media, that maybe, should be taken on by someone who has already had their childhood.
I wonder if Greta’s parents are worried for her, because, sometimes, the stuff right in front of you is not obvious and it takes someone else looking in, from a distance, to notice things.
Small indicators, behavioural changes, maybe even an emotional ‘leakage’ can give the game away, eluding to the pressure building up. Like a volcano bubbling away, ready to explode at any moment, just one more thing can tip you over the edge. It could be the smallest thing that finally ignites the flame.
Greta needs support and needs to take time out. She needs a ‘spa day’ or a holiday to get away from the press and the cameras. She needs to go and have some ‘time out’.
We are no different to Greta. It might not be on the big stage in front of the cameras, but we feel the same things. There are times when the combination, of different aspects of our lives, build tension. Aggregated pressure stacking up like the volcano bubbling away, until it explodes or someone cools it down.
For most people it ends up with an argument, a scream, a sulk or possibly a cry – whatever the body needs to do to expel the pent up energy!
For me it builds slowly and if it is unchecked I can explode. To deal with stress on a day-to-day level, I exercise on a regular basis which has a calming effect. If I go for a spell where I can’t exercise I need to find another way and it is usually watching a film or football or I socialise with friends.
How do you stay calm and remain in control? What happens when you lose ‘the plot’?
Here are 3 things I would recommend:
- Raise your self awareness – check in with your emotional state, daily
- Act on feedback – if others are noticing changes, take notice
- Build your resilience strategies – what is calming for you, in times of stress?
Stay calm and enjoy life!