'Keep Calm and Carry On'

Anyone else seeing all of the “Keep Calm and Carry On” products at novelty and home furnishing stores? 

I certainly have. This simple phrase was nothing but a mystery to me until my old buddy Wikipedia gave me the scoop (like always.) Apparently this phrase was used as British propaganda after major attacks on their cities.

That got me thinking. Sometimes a day can feel like a war zone as problems attack from all sides, and negativity is launched from behind cover. It can be a broken-down car or a nasty encounter on the workplace, but some days that is just one of the many worries piling on.

The first instinct to these issues are to run away and hide, or fight back. Neither of these methods are particularly useful. Those who run solve none of their problems, and those who respond with anger can just make problems worse.

Those folks in the 1939 British government had the right idea: just keep calm and carry on with your day. Anger will soon subside, a bad mood can turn around and problems will eventually be solved. All of this can be expedited by taking a clear look at the situation and addressing it with a cool head.

Nothing is easily solved when there are a cloud of emotions forcing you to lose sight of all factors. Once you realize what is getting in the way of reaching the solution, then you can move past them and get there.

Trust me. Being a news editor means I have no choice but to deal with some angry, nonsensical emails here and there. Are they usually absolutely wrong and blowing things out of proportion? Sure. Will it help if I fire back with the same amount of negativity? Not really. I just stay calm and look at how the problem can be solved (or send them a funny response. People love that.)

This can be even more difficult outside of emails and online comments, but certainly not impossible. My best method for taking on a confrontation is to take a deep breath and think about all feelings involved in the conflict before speaking or acting. Frustration is a feeling that can set in quick with little hope of retreating once its out. I know a simple moment of breath can invoke a clarity not found by jumping the gun with an angry insult (or swift uppercut.)

I hope this helps you deal with a difficult situation one day. Of course, it may be harder to “keep calm and carry on” during certain situations, like a bear attack or a driver failing to yield when you have the right-of-way.

I give you permission to immediately yell at the offender in both scenarios, although the bear might not appreciate that too much....