We all know what it's like to feel general anxiety, whether you have concerns about work, money, or something else entirely. But there are also specific moments that can be stressful, triggering your body's natural fight-or-flight response. In those instances, it can be tough to keep your breathing and heart rate steady—and even to keep your composure. However, heart surgeon Jeremy London, MD, has a few recommendations for keeping yourself calm in these stressful situations.
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In a recent TikTok video, London, a cardiothoracic surgeon in Savannah, Georgia, shares what he personally does to keep himself calm during life's more tense moments. First and foremost, it's key to be prepared.
"Number one: preparation," he tells viewers. "Failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail. Before I walk into any operation, I identify the three worst possible scenarios that can occur and what I'm gonna do about each one of them."
He adds that even if you're not performing serious surgeries daily, it's still worthwhile to equip yourself with the skills to address a stressful situation. One way to do so is by acclimating to this "discomfort."
"I understand you might not be doing heart surgery, but to prepare, you need to regularly place yourself intentionally in situations of discomfort so that when you unexpectedly find yourself in stressful situations, you'll be prepared to deal with it," he explains.
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Beyond that, London says addressing the problem at hand is also important.
"If I find myself in a stressful situation, I take a deep breath and assess the actual problem at hand," he shares. Lastly, he recommends something challenging for many of us: reacting without emotion.
After you have these stressful encounters, it's also important to balance them with recovery. In another TikTok video, London compares this strategy to the "gains" made when you recover after pushing your muscles in a tough resistance workout or the memories you form during deep sleep following intellectual stress from learning and repetition.
With this in mind, you want to ensure that you're balancing your emotional stress following a difficult conversation, a confrontation, or something else that may make you feel that unsettling nervousness or anxiety.
"[These situations] need to be counterbalanced by going for a walk, meditation, creating some personal space for yourself to recover from these," London advises his followers. "In the end, life is hard. Stress is going to be unavoidable. Utilize these situations as opportunities, but always balance them with recovery."
