Calmness and confidence are very closely related, and they start with physical
relaxation. When your body is relaxed, your mind is calmer and clearer, you are
more in control of your emotions and better able to relate to others. Physical
relaxation and mental calmness help you cope with stressful situations, release
unrealistic fears and anxieties, and improve concentration and creativity.
To acquire these benefits for yourself, you must practise:
1.Entering a peaceful, deeply relaxed stateso that you can recharge your bat-
teries. Make the most of techniques such as autosuggestion, mental
rehearsal, anchoring andreframing.
2.Instant calmers. Learn to calm down instantly and stay calm, so that you
can deal with awkward people and situations with ease.
Fortunately these skills are easily learned. If it helps, you can use a pre-recorded
relaxation programme (you can download some from my website for free). Most
of the early problems you may encounter will disappear if you practise daily, and
you will soon be able to relax quickly and easily whenever you have the need.
And remember – the world won’t fall apart if you take it easy for a while!
(^25) Calmness and confidence