Freak Out, or Stay Calm and Breathe: Staying Calm in Unexpected Moments
On the way to the airport recently, I was rear ended.
More specifically, the taxi that I was in was rear-ended.
We were five minutes from the airport when we heard a crash, felt a thud, and felt our bodies slam forward.
"S*it!"
I believe this was the first word spoken from within the taxi.
Thankfully, we were in stop and go traffic, which meant that the other car wasn't moving at top speed.
Thankfully, the taxi was a large black SUV with a large empty trunk behind me, which meant that there was a good amount of space between the other car and our bodies.
Thankfully, I was wearing my seat belt.
Thankfully, I had allowed enough time to get to the airport early.
Still,
A part of me wanted to freak out.
Was my back okay?
My neck?
What if my daughter would have been in the car with me?
In addition to being rear ended, we were now stopped in the middle lane of traffic on an busy three-lane interstate.
Cars were whizzing by.
Were we safe here? Just sitting still?
How much bad luck would it take to get rear ended, while attempting to resolve a situation of getting rear ended?
The driver, along with the driver of the other car, got out to address the situation.
Amidst all of the traffic.
What if one of them got hit by a car?
And am I actually going to make my flight?
How does a person request an Uber for pickup at the side of the highway, if this taxi isn't able to make it to the airport departure gate?
And if I can't make my flight, is there another flight that will get me there in time, to be able to show up and lead my client session at 8:30 the next morning?
These were just a few of the thoughts racing through my head.
In that moment, I had a choice to either freak out, or stay calm and breathe.
While a part of me wanted to freak out, I did my best to stay calm and breathe.
Slow steady inhale, audible exhale.
Feel my feet on the ground.
Repeat.
During yoga teacher training back in 2010, we often talked about the three pillars of
Grounding, Relaxing, and Breathing.
While these can be helpful for a yoga and mindfulness practice, they are equally helpful in everyday situations:
When we get an irritating email,
When we experience travel delays,
When we get unfavorable news from a client or our boss,
When a loved one annoys us with something they say (or do).
As Victor Frankl said,
“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”
In the end, I did make my flight.
In the end, everything was okay.
And in the end, I was grateful for these tools to help me avoid freaking out and instead, to stay (mostly) calm and being able to ground, relax, and breath in the back of the taxi.
What do you think?
Have you had any opportunities to practice grounding, relaxing, and breathing this past week?
Staying calm and grounded in life’s unexpected moments can make all the difference, whether you're navigating personal challenges or leading a team through tough situations. Practicing presence and mindful breathing isn’t just a way to manage stress—it’s a powerful foundation for effective leadership. If you’re looking to deepen your resilience and lead with intention, I’m here to support you. Together, we can build the skills to handle life’s ups and downs with clarity and confidence. Let’s connect and explore how I can help you create meaningful impact, one grounded step at a time.
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Grounded Leadership: Like the stillness of water, true resilience and leadership come from within. Grounding, breathing, and staying present in the face of life’s unexpected challenges allow us to lead with clarity and calm, creating ripples of impact around us.
