Jonathan Meyer.

So often in my life, I find myself uncomfortable. That feeling of your chest closing in, the world staring at you, and your own self-loathing–all surrounding your inward emotions in so many adverse situations. Through my many years of experience, I have developed six methods to combat–and potentially eliminate–uncomfortable encounters from your life. Take notes if you must. Here we go!

1. Get Red in the Face

In any situation where you are thrown off balance or have lost control, your first line of defense is your face. I remember in Spanish class, I would be called on quite often. My instant defense mechanism for those uncomfortable moments was the color of my face. Something about the rosy hue can mask your fear and detract from the dangerous encounter at hand. Getting red in the face is a skill and technique that some can develop over years and years of advanced training. It’s a great way to turn up the heat in your cheeks and cool down what’s making you uncomfortable.

2. Look at the Ground

Another great route to follow is simply looking down. When the color of your face doesn’t end the exchange, looking down will add an extra barrier between your eyes and whatever is troubling you. What you can’t see can’t hurt you.

3. Avoid Speaking

For some of those intense verbal situations, take away any chance of further escalation. Simply say nothing at all. Actions speak louder than words–especially if you aren’t using words at all. This can commonly be paired with entry number two on our list to create a verbal and visual buffer from most stressors.

4. Click Your Heels Together Three Times…

There’s no place like home. What else can I say? It might work.

5. Just Leave

Exiting the premises is a great way of escaping uncomfortability. I always enjoy the technique of misdirection followed by a clever getaway. “Is that a bird?” Then run like hell. While this may seem cowardly–well, it is–but you’ll be out of imminent danger simply by removing yourself.

6. Fake a Medical Emergency

If all else fails, this is the final piece of advice I can give you: no one messes with a sick or injured person. While I’ll leave the interpretation of which ailment is most effective to you, I truly endorse this way of escaping whatever in your life may make you uncomfortable.

At the end of the day, being uncomfortable is a natural part of life. Just as riding a bike is a skill to learn, so is being uncomfortable. Resilience is an invaluable quality to have in this great human experience we are a part of. My list today might be silly, but I hope you leave feeling empowered to do hard things.

Until my next list, I’m Just Jonathan.