In today’s fast-paced, get-up-and-go world, crisis situations are bound to happen.

What should you do when a challenging situation arises? More importantly, how can you remain calm in order to deal with the situation to the best of your ability? Knowing the ropes when faced with a crisis will enable you to get your bearings and handle it with a minimal amount of stress.

Breathe. Remember that even in the most stressful situation, breathing deeply and forcing yourself to remain calm will help. If you are perceived as calm, then to others you are calm, and you can influence their response to the situation as well.

Have a plan. The most successful entrepreneurs are those who have a good game plan. Same goes for dealing effectively with a crisis. Develop a crisis management plan that can be put into place in case of emergency. Include ways to handle potential crises from all walks of your busy life. For instance, make a plan for how to deal with a large, unexpected bill. Or, take some time to talk to your family about how to handle a possible natural disaster.

Practice makes perfect. To get really good at handling emergencies, start small. Practice crisis response in everyday stressful situations. The next time you are feeling a minor crisis arising, make yourself aware of your surroundings, your reactions, and your response. Make a conscious effort to stop, remain calm, and think before you proceed.

Think fast, but not too fast. In a serious crisis situation, you’ll need good reaction time, but this doesn’t have to mean sacrificing the quality of your reaction. Remaining calm and being able to think things through before springing into action requires self-awareness and the forethought to make important decisions on the go.

Less is more. People who handle crises successfully know that in order to take the right action, they need to be able to divvy up the responsibilities involved in righting the situation. For example, if the crisis happens at work, hand out tasks to co-workers who will be able to help. Or if there is an emergency at home, know when to call outside help, like the fire department or the police.

Being able to stay calm throughout a crisis can prevent the situation from worsening and even stop a near-crisis from escalating. Choosing to respond in a calm, collected way will allow you to act efficiently and maximize your chances of bouncing back quickly and getting things back to normal.

Practicing crisis response by staying calm in everyday situations. Realize that strength comes from this self-awareness. By developing this skill, you’ll be well prepared to handle a serious crisis should one ever occur.

Thanks to FitBuff.com for featuring this article in the Total Mind and Body Fitness Carnival.