--- title: 3 Quick Tips to De-Stress In a Frustrating Situation description: Use this meditative technique the next time you’re frustrated on the job canonical: https://time.com/4340229/destress-frustrating-situation/ author: Donna De La Cruz article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-06-06T16:51:53.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T09:02:30.929Z og:title: 3 Quick Tips to De-Stress In a Frustrating Situation og:description: Use this meditative technique the next time you’re stressed on the job og:url: https://time.com/4340229/destress-frustrating-situation/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte04742d7cf677c08/69887baf8e06016c01464682/clouds-jumping-happiness-success-achievment-mental-health.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2500 og:image:height: 1406 og:image:alt: clouds-jumping-Happiness-success-achievment-mental-health-motto-stock og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 3 Quick Tips to De-Stress In a Frustrating Situation twitter:description: Use this meditative technique the next time you’re stressed on the job twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte04742d7cf677c08/69887baf8e06016c01464682/clouds-jumping-happiness-success-achievment-mental-health.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 3 Quick Tips to De-Stress In a Frustrating Situation by [Donna D'Cruz](https://time.com/author/donna-de-la-cruz/) ## Donna D'Cruz Jun 6, 2016 4:51 PM UTC  Peechaya Burroughs for TIME by [Donna D'Cruz](https://time.com/author/donna-de-la-cruz/) ## Donna D'Cruz Jun 6, 2016 4:51 PM UTC Perhaps you’re in a conference room presenting your project summary to a group when, not even five minutes into your well-rehearsed presentation, a couple of people start fidgeting and seem to be distracted. Or perhaps you’re on a call and an unreceptive client isn’t letting you get a word in edgewise. I have been in these circumstances or similar situations many times. This is the method that has helped me get through high-stress work situations and remind me to reconnect; I call them my _Dip Into Bliss_ tools. **1\. Take a moment to just do nothing**No matter how brief the moment, this allows you to give yourself a little bit of distance from the situation. [_Follow Motto on Facebook._](https://www.facebook.com/mottoworkplaylive/) **2\. Ground yourself**Feel your feet, especially your heels, connect with the floor. You may even want to even wiggle your toes so that you reconnect with the Earth beneath you. **3\. Take three long, slow, deep diaphragmatic breaths**When we’re feeling challenged, ridiculed, angry or frustrated, we immediately change our breathing—either breathing in short, shallow cycles or stopping our breathing altogether. Take your time here to fill yourself up with air and positive energy. Make sure your inhale is about the same length as your exhale. Just practicing conscious breathing activates your body’s relaxation response. When your body begins to relax, so, too, does the mind. Do a cycle of three deep clearing, balancing breaths if you can. In the face of a really challenging criticism, you may feel embarrassed in front of your peers and supervisors. If you need to buy yourself some time to implement the _Dip Into Bliss_ method, you can always use a stalling technique like saying, “Excuse me, can you repeat what you just said? I’m not sure I heard you.” Or, “I’d be happy to address your question later—but for now, let’s get on with the presentation.” Once you finish these steps, you’ll be able to respond in a calmer, focused and more balanced way. [_Donna D’Cruz_](http://donnadcruz.com) _is an entrepreneur, DJ and meditation leader encouraging you to elevate your spirit, stimulate your senses and awaken your style through her_ [_Dip Into Bliss_](http://www.donnadcruz.com/dipintobliss/) _program._ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4340229/destress-frustrating-situation/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4340229/destress-frustrating-situation/"},"headline":"3 Quick Tips to De-Stress In a Frustrating Situation","datePublished":"2016-06-06T16:51:53.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T09:02:30.929Z","description":"Use this meditative technique the next time you’re stressed on the job","url":"https://time.com/4340229/destress-frustrating-situation/","keywords":["motto"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte04742d7cf677c08/69887baf8e06016c01464682/clouds-jumping-happiness-success-achievment-mental-health.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Donna D'Cruz"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte04742d7cf677c08/69887baf8e06016c01464682/clouds-jumping-happiness-success-achievment-mental-health.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"clouds-jumping-Happiness-success-achievment-mental-health-motto-stock","caption":"clouds jumping Happiness success achievment mental health motto stock","creditText":"Peechaya Burroughs for TIME","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/motto/","name":"motto"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4340229/destress-frustrating-situation/","name":"3 Quick Tips to De-Stress In a Frustrating Situation"}}]}] ```