It is no longer news that the sweet victory of Nigeria over South Africa in the ongoing AFCON competition claimed the lives of four Nigerians Wednesday evening, while watching the semi-final match.
Though Nigeria won the tension-soaked match against South Africa by 4 goals to 2, which was decided by a penalty kick after an initial 1-1 draw at extra time of the match, the deputy Bursar of Kwara State University (KWASU) Malete, Alhaji Ayuba Olaitan Abdullahi, an Anambra-born billionaire, Chief Osondu Nwoye, a former Presidential Adviser on National Assembly Matters to former President Goodluck Jonathan, Cairo Ojougboh and a serving Corps Member, Samuel , all died due to shock of seeing our second goal cancelled and a penalty awarded to South Africa.
Yes, it’s easy to get caught up in the moment and let your feelings take over. But it’s imperative to understand that even though you can’t always control what happens, you can control how you react.
You’re probably aware of some of the benefits of controlling your emotions and staying calm. However, be assured that they are much more than you think.
In fact, becoming a master of your own emotions will positively affect your interpersonal relationships and every aspect of your personal wellness – either directly or indirectly.
According to research, being emotionally competent and self-regulating form the foundation for long-term personal, social and academic success and for promoting mental health and well-being.
Now, let’s dive into the importance of controlling your emotions in greater detail:
Benefits Of Controlling Emotions And Staying Calm
The benefits of controlling your emotions include:
Increases life expectancy; Improves social relationship; Boosts mental health; Increases happiness; Enhances decision making; Preserves energy; Improves how you are perceived by others; Minimises regret; Decreases physical pain; Boosts productivity.
1) Control your emotions to increase your life expectancy
First of all, being calm protects your physical health.
In fact, numerous studies confirm that more anxious people have greater risk of dying from cardiovascular diseases than those who are less anxious.
Another study revealed that being even slightly stressed can cause considerable damage to your arteries and lead to a heart attack.
Notably, heart disease remains the leading cause of death worldwide. And yes, you’ll admit, some of the risks factors for heart disease are non-modifiable.
Thus, they are entirely out of our control. But, don’t ignore the ones that you can actually do something about.
Imagine if you could increase your life expectancy by working on decreasing stress and remaining calm. Well, you can!
There’s also lots of evidence of how stress can increase the risk of developing some cancers, damage your brain and disturb other vital processes in your body.
According to research, being flexible when it comes to regulating your emotions has even been associated with lower levels of distress after traumatic events.
2) Staying Calm Will Help You Make Better Decisions:
Being stressed and anxious will cause you to make poor choices sooner or later.
However, with the help of relaxation techniques like yoga, meditation or simply taking a walk in nature most people can calm down and collect their thoughts which is exactly what they need to make better decisions.
In fact, sometimes all we need is just to take a few more moments to think about all the possible consequences of our actions before we make a decision.
Additionally, regulating your emotions will help you to better communicate your goals and intentions.
The best part is that controlling your emotions is practically free of charge and open to everyone who wants to try.
3) Staying Calm Will Preserve Your Energy:
Undeniably, staying calm and relaxed will preserve your energy.
Actually, when we are stressed, we tend to use a lot of energy unnecessarily both mentally and physically.
In fact, there is a lot of research that proves how important it is for us to have a positive outlook on life and stay away from negative thoughts as much as we can.
4) You Will Have Better Social Relationships
Being calm is powerful and contagious. Actually, if you stay calm most of the time it’s very likely that others around you will be calmer as well.
Undeniably, most people prefer to be around calm and relaxed individuals. It’s a kind of magnet that attracts other people.
That’s why having a calm demeanor will make it easier for others to interact with you. They will appreciate the fact that being around you doesn’t make them feel more stressed and nervous.
This may ultimately lead to even deeper relationships. Although debatable, you may even be perceived as friendlier or more professional.
Through modeling, your colleagues may learn to regulate their own negative emotions when faced with similar conflicts. Plus, there is just something more attractive and interesting about persons who can control their emotions and remain calm even during very stressful situations.
5) Staying Calm Will Minimize Regrets
It’s also very likely that people who are calm and relaxed tend to have fewer regrets because they react less on their negative emotions.
For example, if you don’t control your emotions when a stressful event happens, there is a much higher chance that things will get out of hand way too fast.
6) Staying Calm Will Prevent Physical Pain
The effects of stress and anxiety on your body can be quite strong.
If you didn’t know any better you might think that some of these symptoms are caused by another problem and not the stress and anxiety directly.
Some of the other physical problems that can be caused by stress are headaches, muscle tension, fatigue, chest pain, sleep problems, upset stomach, and diarrhea.
7) Remaining Calm Is Good For Your Mental Health
We’ve already established that your physical health will greatly benefit from remaining calm.
However, learning to control your emotions will do tons on good for your mental health as well. You may be wondering why stress has such a negative impact on us in the first place?
The answer is simple, we produce more cortisol and adrenaline to prepare our bodies for “fight or flight” situations. This process helps us to react and do something when we are under threat.
Disadvantages Of Regulating Your Emotions And Staying Calm
Unfortunately, controlling your emotions may have its psychological costs – which definitely adds up with time.
For instance, some people with high emotional control may be less happy and successful due to the considerable emotional resources needed to regulate your emotions.
This can have a negative effect on well-being. Thus, it’s important to control your emotions and not suppress them.
In addition, actively suppressing some emotions like sadness can cause others to perceive that you do not need assistance.
Not only will this lead to you not receiving social support, but it may even deteriorate your relationship with others.
Conclusively, the bottom line is that if you are constantly stressed or anxious, then it’s time to change.
Take the first step towards a happier, healthier life by working on staying calm rather than constantly worrying.
As you can see, there are many reasons for us all to control our emotions as much as we can.
It’s practically free and will not only improve your health, relationships, and happiness but also enable you to make better decisions and preserve your energy.
So why not try it out? Be intentionally calm and enjoy the benefits.
