It was the middle of the night in January of 2015. The Astronauts aboard the international space station were circling the earth from orbit just before 3AM Central Standard Time. Suddenly the quiet of the early morning was pierced by an emergency alarm. A toxic atmosphere emergency was detected. The alarm code indicated that ammonia was leaking into the atmosphere of the module.
Reacting immediately, the crew moved from the modules they were in and into the Russian model. The Russian module was disconnected from the systems and fans that could leak and spread ammonia, and as a result would protect the astronauts once they had closed the hatch.
The astronauts began measuring the atmosphere for traces of ammonia and thankfully found none in the air of the Russian Module. They continued to use instruments that were able to measure the levels of ammonia in the other modules of the station. Those instruments indicated that there was no ammonia present in the atmosphere of those modules either. It turned out to be a false alarm.
While the astronauts themselves had been rushing to shelter in the Russian module of the station, the ground control team had also been working quickly. The alarms had sounded on both the station and at mission control at the same time. Mission control teams immediately began reviewing the alarm and instrument readings being relayed from the station to better understand what was going on. As the alarms sounded they calmly and effectively communicated with the crew on the station.
It was later determined that the false alarm was caused by a computer software bug. While this was a false alarm neither the crew aboard the station or the Mission Control teams panicked. They did, of course, experience elevated heart rates and other signs of being physically excited, however due to their training, the two teams were able to remain calm and work through the situation successfully.
NASA spends a tremendous amount of time training their astronauts. They know that in space, panic can mean disaster. If there is a sudden emergency and the crew of a spacecraft succumb to panic, they will be unable to respond quickly and effectively. Their emotional reaction, their fear, will prevent them from thinking clearly and taking quick action. NASA knows this and works with their astronauts to ensure that when something goes wrong the team is ready to tackle it.
You too may be faced with emergencies in your life or at work and will need to be able to respond calmly and effectively. The good news is that you can develop the ability to do this! Here are some tips to help you react the way you want to and avoid panic in stressful situations.
Take a Breath
When you begin to panic or experience stress your heart rate will elevate and in tandem your breathing rate will quicken. Anyone that wears an Apple Watch knows when they are experiencing elevated breathing and stress levels because their watch lets them know. The watch also gives them the suggestion they need in order to restore healthy respiration and heart rate. The watch tells the user that it is time to breath. It walks the user through a process of slowly inhaling and exhaling. The long breaths help to oxygenate the blood and reduce the need for rapid heart rate. This has a calming effect on the user allowing them to better focus and to think clearly.
If you find yourself in a stressful situation, allow your self to take a deep breath. Take a moment to recognize your rapid breath and focus on taking slow deliberate breaths. This will help to keep you relaxed and ready for action.
Distraction
The crews on the space station do not spend all of their time looking out the windows at space. They are busy running the station, exercising and completing science experiments. This helps to keep the astronauts' minds occupied so they have important things to think about that are not what would happen if the station loses pressure or some other emergency were to arise. The idle mind will seek to entertain itself and one of the ways it does so is through imagination. Imaging what could happen and what the outcomes would be. In a situation where there is a high amount of risk, like space, this can lead to thinking about very scary situations. Thinking about these situations can result in fear and fear, of course, leads to panic.
If you find that you are experiencing high amounts of stress, focus on something else. Play a video game, do yard or house work, engage in a hobby or start a new work task. Keep your mind focused on something other than your stressor while you return to a normal emotional state.
Exercise
Exercise is a key daily routine of the astronauts. It not only keeps their bodies in shape, but also helps to keep their minds healthy. When exercising your brain releases endorphins into your bloodstream. These chemicals make you feel good. This is what causes the so called, runners high. To be more specific endorphins boost self confidence, reduce depression and protect against stress and anxiety. The same exercise routine that works for the astronauts will also work for you.
To help protect against stress, exercise regularly. This can be intense exercise like cycling, running or weight training or more moderate exercise like push ups at home, or going for a walk in the morning or the afternoon. The key is to get moving and get your heart rate up. This will help you not only stay in shape, but also to release those powerful endorphins and the benefits they bring to your mental health.
Repetition
NASA relentlessly trains their crews to handle emergency situations. Prior to going to space, astronauts spend a tremendous amount of both classroom and field training to prepare for any situation. They don't just study the experiments, the space craft and how things work, but also how they don't work. As part of their triningin astronaut crews are put into simulations where things are intentionally broken. With alarms sounding the crew must work to identify and solve problems. They do this over and over again for all of the different possible scenarios. With time the alarm becomes a cue that it's time to take action and because they've been in the scenario before, the astronauts know exactly what to do. They go into action and start working through routines they've memorized to deal with emergency situations.
In your life, there may be situations and times where you experience stress or have to solve problems suddenly. Getting ready physically and mentally ahead of time will help you be prepared. For example if you are an introvert, going to parties and talking to new people can be very stressful. When you have the time you can practice engaging with people you are not familiar with. Talk to a cashier or waitress about something small, or engage a stranger you've just met while out running errands. These low risk situations allow you to practice skills you will put into action later. When you are in a work meeting or at a party where you need to talk to a lot of different people, you will be more relaxed and calm because you've practiced this. Do the same with the other stressors in your life so that you are ready when stress happens.
These are few tips that will help you to react calmly and effectively in stressful and emergency situations. Have you used any of these before or do you think they will be helpful? What other tips do you have for keeping your calm in an emergency? I want to hear about it! Post below or contact me!
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