3 Strategies to Get You Through Those Confined Spaces

Yesterday I spent an hour stuck on the tube. The tube ground to a halt between stations. It got quite hot and the lighting was minimal. You don't often get opportunities to really see if you can walk your talk. Here's how I managed my emotions during my time of stress.

1. I made a conscious effort to slow down my breathing. Breathing slowly and deeply helps you to change your physiology. Try a few quick shallow breaths and notice how you feel. Do you feel hyped up, possibly a bit anxious? Now, slow your breathing right down, breathe slowly and deeply. Notice how you now feel. Often when we feel stressed, we breathe in the upper part of the chest rather than using the entire chest area. This adds to our feelings of anxiety and distress.
2. I chose what to focus on. When the tube first stopped I found myself thinking about the trains behind us. Would they know we had stopped? I started imagining other possibilities, none of them happy or helpful. I noticed I was starting to feel a bit panicky so I chose to think about other things. I thought about things that made me feel happy, centred and calm. By the way, it’s a good idea to practice this so you have a stock of images you can call upon in an instant. This isn't the time to hypothesis with your neighbour. There’s no need to discuss how long you may be down there. We don’t know. Sharing worst case scenarios won’t help lighten the load.
3. If you can, find ways to laugh with fellow commuters. We had quite a bit of comaderie going and it does help to pass the time. *thanks guys!* Laughing is a great way of changing your physiology so that you can manage your emotions.
   

By managing your emotions during times of distress you can minimise any feelings of anxiety, panic or distress. Change your breathing pattern and you change your physiology; change what you are thinking about and you change how you feel; reach out to others in a positive way and you avoid feeling isolated and begin to feel supported.