By John Valentik, MS, CSCS, NASM-PES, CES
Without getting into too much detail, the past couple of weeks have been challenging for our family for a number of reasons. This prompted me to share a social media post on Tuesday about being the calm in the storm.
The post was something I needed as a reminder to myself, but it also seemed to resonate with others. So I thought I’d follow up with this Sunday’s blog and explore how we can all find a little more calm in the storms of life.
Every day, different responsibilities compete for our attention. Family obligations. Work deadlines. Maintaining relationships. Taking care of our health. Not to mention the seemingly endless list of everyday tasks like laundry, cleaning, meal preparation, and managing finances.
And just when we think we have everything under control, life has a way of throwing us a curveball. Sometimes it’s a minor inconvenience. Other times, it’s something much more significant that can turn our world upside down.
Regardless of the circumstances, I think there’s tremendous value in learning to slow down when everything around us seems to be speeding up.
Being the calm in the storm doesn’t mean pretending the storm isn’t happening. It doesn’t mean ignoring our emotions, acting like everything is okay, or assuming we have an answer to every problem.
Instead, it’s acknowledging that we’re facing challenges and giving ourselves permission to navigate them without feeling like we need to solve everything immediately.
Maybe that means accepting that everything on our to-do list won’t get accomplished today. Maybe it means taking a few extra deep breaths before responding to a frustrating situation. Or perhaps it’s deliberately walking a little more slowly, enjoying a conversation with someone we care about, or simply giving ourselves a few moments to process what’s happening.
There’s also something to be said about recognizing when we need to do less. A quote often attributed to Warren Buffett suggests that the difference between successful people and really successful people is their willingness to say no to almost everything.
While I don’t necessarily think we need to say no to everything, there’s a valuable lesson. Not every request requires a yes. Not every opportunity needs to be pursued. And not every responsibility needs to be handled immediately.
Sometimes saying no to one thing allows us to say yes to something far more important, including our own well-being and the people who matter most. Of course, that is easier said than done!
I’m not suggesting that we should be perfectly calm in every difficult situation. That would be impossible! We’re human. We get frustrated, overwhelmed, anxious, and exhausted. Some storms are far more difficult to navigate than others, and sometimes we need additional support to get through them.
But I do think we can become more intentional about recognizing those moments when life starts moving a mile a minute. Rather than immediately speeding up to match everything happening around us, what if we tried doing the opposite?
Slow down. Take a few breaths. Give yourself permission to say no. Make time for the people you care about. And perhaps most importantly, allow yourself to simply be and process whatever it is you’re going through.
Being calm in the storm doesn’t necessarily change the storm. But it can change our perspective and how we navigate it.
This is an imperfect process, without question. But one that I think is worth the effort. A reminder to myself just as much as it is to all of you.
Stay calm, my friends!
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