“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” – Barack Obama

 

Recently, in the NLP TTT program, I had a unique experience of being modelled by the participants on a quality of their choice. What did they choose to model? My calmness. During this process, a new mantra was born:

“Calm nahi rahoge toh kaam kaise karoge?”
(Translation: If you are not calm, how will you get anything done?)

 

Sitting in the hot seat during the intense modelling interview, I came to a crucial realisation. The key to mental well-being lies in ensuring that you regularly do your own KYC.

 

This KYC is not about financial health, but mental well-being — a crucial element that often goes unnoticed until it’s frayed or worn thin. This KYC is:

Keep Your Calm

In today’s fast-paced world, where deadlines are constant and distractions endless, our mental health can easily take a backseat. We push through stress, anxiety, and pressure, sometimes not even realizing the toll it’s taking. So, how can we apply “Keep Your Calm” as a tool to manage mental well-being, improve resilience, and create a balanced life? Here are three insights that I would like to share with you:

 

1. Your Personal Calmness Quotient (CQ)

We all possess a personal Calmness Quotient – an internal scale, largely formed unconsciously, shaped by our beliefs, past experiences, and our personal definition of calm. Just like the spectrum of a rainbow, calmness may be universal, but each of us experiences it in a variety of shades.

 

2. Calmness is Both the Journey and the Destination

You may often hear that peace, transformation, and meditation are all journeys, not destinations. How about exploring the option that calmness can be both?

When calmness is your journey, it becomes an active process, something you engage with. When calmness is your destination, it’s a state you embody and radiate outward.

It’s not just about doing calm things but becoming a calm person, allowing that serenity to flow into every aspect of your life.

 

3. There’s No One-Size-Fits-All for Calm

While I shall share my top five techniques for staying calm, calmness is about rebooting yourself and creating your own version of calm. At eight years old, ice cream was my go-to stress reliever. At 18, it was hanging out with friends. By 28, learning new concepts became my way of release. As I grew, my approach to handling stress changed, evolving as my life did.

 

Let’s now explore the Top Five KYC techniques, which also count towards your Personal Calmness Quotient (CQ)

1. Know Your Triggers

The first step to keeping your calm is awareness. What situations, environments, or people push you off balance? Perhaps it’s the looming deadlines, unkind words, or simply too much on your plate. Understanding your stress triggers can help you proactively manage them. Once you are aware of what triggers stress, you can devise strategies to either avoid or cope with them.

For example, if crowded places make you anxious, practising mindfulness in those moments or limiting time spent in such environments can help. It’s like identifying weak spots in your mental armour so that you can fortify them.

 

2. Your Stress Filter: Reframe and Respond

We often forget that while we can’t control every situation, we can always control how we respond. A powerful mental tool from Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) is reframing — changing how we perceive a challenging situation. If a task feels overwhelming, instead of viewing it as a burden, shift your perspective to see it as a learning experience or an opportunity for growth. This shift can significantly alter the emotional charge attached to the situation, keeping your calm intact.

The way you filter life’s challenges influences your state of mind. Strengthening this filter allows you to maintain calm and clarity, even when things around you are chaotic.

 

3. Keep a Daily “Calm Time” Ritual

Just as physical exercise strengthens the body, mental practices strengthen the mind. A calm mind is not achieved by luck, but by consistent effort. Schedule time daily for activities that replenish your calm — whether it’s meditation, yoga, journaling, or simply deep breathing. These moments allow you to reset, release mental clutter, and restore your energy.

A few minutes a day dedicated to stillness can create ripples of calm throughout your entire day. It’s like putting a little mental money aside every day, so that when tough times come, you are not mentally bankrupt.

 

4. Maintain Healthy Mental Boundaries

Sometimes, the inability to keep your calm stems from over-committing or taking on too much. It’s essential to set boundaries to protect your mental health. This could mean saying “no” to a task or event that drains you, or simply giving yourself permission to take a break when needed.

Mental boundaries are like fences for your well-being. They safeguard your peace and protect you from burnout. When you say “yes” to everyone else, make sure you’re not saying “no” to yourself.

 

5. Check in with Yourself

Your mental health is not static; it fluctuates just like physical health. Checking in regularly with yourself can help you spot signs of stress or overwhelm before they escalate. Are you sleeping well? Do you feel energized or drained? Do you look forward to your day, or do you dread it? These questions can serve as your KYC check-ins.

Remember, it’s okay to seek help when needed. Reaching out to a coach, therapist, counsellor, or even a trusted friend can be an act of self-care and strength, not weakness.

 

Let’s make calm personal. Together.

 

While the above five techniques are sure-shot strategies to Keep Your Calm, I encourage you to explore your own path to calmness.

Take the KYC Quiz, a tool designed to help you create a personalised strategy for keeping calm this Mental Health Day.

https://www.w3successacademy.com/f/kyc-for-mental-health

 

No matter what your score is, remember that calmness is a skill you can build. The more you practice your KYC — Keep Your Calm — the higher your Calmness Quotient will grow over time.

What area will you focus on improving to raise your CQ?

 

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