Julie McCracken
- Apr 22, 2021
- 2 min read

These 2 Questions will help you find calm in stressful situations:

Updated: Sep 20, 2021

February 2021 was the 10 year anniversary of the Earthquake that killed 185 people and wrecked my home town of Christchurch, New Zealand.

Remembrance celebrations reminded me of these 2 questions that would instantly snap me out of my fear and anxiety, and help me deal with 10,000+ aftershocks - which were potentially life threatening, completely unpredictable and totally out of my control.

I think they will help you in these unpredictable COVID times:

Want 2 Questions to help you be calm and present in stressful situations?

The questions:

Question One: "Is it happening to me right now?"

Question Two: "Am I and my family safe right now?"

How they work:

These questions help you instantly recognize when you are:

a. Responding to what is happening right now.

b. Re-living a past situation

c. Fearing a future situation

Your Answers Are The Key:

If your answer is YES it is happening now and I’m not safe …. Then give yourself permission to be present and respond as you need too, take action as you need too and feel what you need too. ……

Then Breath In The Moment.

If your answer is NO, it’s not happening to me now and I am safe. Then stop stressing about the past or the future ........

And Breath In The Moment.

Breathing In The Moment switches you out of fight/flight (sympathetic nervous system) and into rest, relax, digest (parasympathetic nervous system). This enables you to clearly focus on what is important in this moment, and then allow your body to re-charge and restore - so you are ready to respond if/when you really need too.

"We all carry too much stress that is irrelevant to this moment. Learning to Breath in the Moment and respond to NOW is the key to creating more calm in your life."

Breathing In The Moment Is Super Easy:

Take a gentle breath in and as you breath out … let go! Repeat.
Now notice that it is your body that is physically breathing. As you breath in, your lungs expand and as you breath out and let go – your lungs deflate.
Notice that you are not breathing in the future – that is impossible.
Notice that you are not breathing in the past – the past has been and gone.
Notice that you are physically breathing in now, in this moment and in this moment. Every breath you take is in this moment right here and right now.
Just relax and breath in this moment now.