In modern-day life, especially in the busy, vibrant lives of us Career Girls, seemingly sticky situations arise which make it easy to become stressed, frustrated, and just simply exasperated. Letting this frustration get to you can lead to angry outbursts, high stress levels, and overall, a terrible situation for all involved. Although you can’t avoid the frustrating situations that come with being a successful person, these tips and tricks will help you to maintain a cool, level head in every situation, and avoid as much potential frustration as possible without having a meltdown.

Be aware of how serious the situation actually is.

Learning how to not over-dramatize situations, how to not overreact to little things, and how to best overcome the big-deal situations is one of the most important parts of being able to remain calm. As frustrating as some situations are, in the big picture, are they really going to matter that much? Knowing the answer to that question will allow you to take control and direct the conversation into something more diplomatic and pleasant for those involved.

Take a deep breath.

Perhaps the simplest of all methods to stay calm, taking a few deep breaths, closing your eyes, and clearing your mind will give you the clarity necessary to handle any frustrating scenario with grace and class. Plus, it’s been proven by the American Psychological Association that, “…deep breathing and relaxing imagery can help soothe angry feelings” (Source: APA, 2015). So take a deep breath, and calm down enough that you can handle the situation with rationality and a clear head.

Understand your emotions.

For many Career Girls, work is a high-strung environment filled with possible stressors. These make it easy to get caught in a wave of stress-induced emotions, and taking a step back and looking at your emotions can help you to remain calm. Are you really this angry over the situation at hand, or is the anger the product of a large amount of stress placed on you throughout the day or week? Knowing what factors are going into your current emotions allows you to accurately gauge just how serious the frustrating situation is, and lets you make a decision on how to handle the situation with logical reasoning as the backbone, and not just built up emotions.

Think about the consequences of how you handle the situation.

In any work or family related frustrating situation, you will have choices in how to handle it. If using the tips above doesn’t solidify how you want to handle it, think about how it will affect you. If you are faced with a frustrating situation at work, and your boss is the one you have to talk to about it, how will it turn out for you if you go into the conversation enraged and flustered? Going into any frustrating situation with a clear head and a calm demeanor will not only turn out better for you in the long run; it will also show your superiors and co-workers (or your family, or your friends!) that you are an amazingly level headed person who can survive the most frustrating of situations with grace.

Overall, using the 4 strategies above will help you to stay calm during frustrating situations. In addition, after a hugely stressful situation arises, don’t be afraid to step back, relax, and treat yourself for a day. After victoriously (and calmly) tackling a frustrating situation, you deserve to reward yourself with a stress-free day, or at the very least, your favorite indulgence or treat.