C.U.P.- capacity

A few weeks ago, thinking about people who say that they are "calm under pressure", my attention was drawn to the first letter of each word...which spells "CUP".

We all know what a cup is. This knowledge led me to wonder what the overall CUP - capacity of those who are calm under pressure is.

Cups come in different sizes...and pressure comes with different levels of intensity hence your C.U.P. - capacity is a determinant for handling pressure successfully.

Here are 3 things I do to cope which have helped me increase my C.U.P. - capacity:

1. Consider what my options are and the possible outcomes would be. In other words, what would happen if I do nothing or do something? What if I do something which is not the right thing?
2. Open myself to understand the (potential) interests of and (possible) impact on the other people involved. Understanding these help me determine if I need to reach out to others for support or not. It also helps me assess my options.
3. Pace myself this includes my words and actions because pressure always passes. In pacing myself, I focus on distinguishing my emotions from the actual situation as there are times that our emotions exaggerate the impact of the situation.
4. Ensure that I maintain positive thoughts and do my best to arrive at a future-focused solution. It is important to focus on what will matter about the situation in 6 hours, 6 days, 6 weeks, 6 months, 6 years or even 6 decades from today.

One thing to remember about your C.U.P.-capacity is that if you tip over, what's in you will spill out. So long before pressure comes is the time to build your C.U.P.-capacity.

I'd be interested in hearing how you manage your C.U.P. - capacity.