How the Navy Seals Stay Calm in Chaotic Situations

Being a Navy SEAL has to be one of the most hardcore jobs there is. It’s hard to imagine what they have to do, see, and process on a daily basis.

If they didn’t have ways to self-regulate, stay calm, and keep focused in the heat of the moment when they needed it most, they’d be screwed. They may even lose their lives.

That’s why they develop skills that can help them lean into chaos and even thrive in it.

People today often glorify the life of a Navy SEAL. Some even make it out to be sexy. It’s not, and the Navy SEALs would be the first to tell you.

After all, they deal with blood, sweat, and tears on a daily basis so there’s nothing glamorous about it.

However, there are lots of things that we can learn from them as their lives are incredibly powerful and inspiring. We can even dare to bring parts of them into our own lives too.

Here are five of the best.

1. Teamwork

Although the Navy SEALs are incredibly well trained, strong, and courageous individually, they are also vulnerable alone. It’s why humans have formed communities since day one. There’s power in numbers.

That’s why the SEALs often repeat this saying:

“Individuals play the game, but teams beat the odds”

With each one of them seeing strength, leadership, loyalty, support, guidance, and friendship in one another, they inspire each other to be the best versions of themselves.

This is how teammates can propel one another forward, even through the grit, grime, and guts of life.

Or as the old African proverb goes:

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together”

2. Mental strength

The Navy SEALs are masters at attuning their potential towards greatness. However, greatness often comes from the work they do that no one sees. It’s the kind of work that goes on behind the scenes in the minds and hearts of the courageous.

Perhaps nothing highlights this more than the 40% rule that defines their immense character.

“The 40% rule is simple: When your mind is telling you that you’re done, that you’re exhausted, that you cannot possibly go any further, you’re only actually 40% done.

The human mind is an amazing thing. It both propels us forward and holds us back.”

The 40% rule is so impressive because it shows that most of their training happens after everyone else has given up. They push themselves to explore and experience the other 60% of their minds to see who and what lies beyond. And because they go that extra mile, they become unbeatable.

3. Their ability to learn

“There are only two ways to do something … the right way, and again”

The Navy SEALs seem to value the process of learning as much, if not more than any particular outcome. So, when they’re presented with a mistake or a failure, they simply take what they learned and try again. And in so doing, they never experience a wrong way, they only seek another way.

This is one of the greatest lessons the Navy SEALs teach us.

Another one of my favourites is this:

“When you’re under pressure you don’t rise to the occasion, you sink to the level of your training”

4. The development of natural skills

When everything’s stripped away, the Navy SEALs use the same evolutionary tools that we have all been given at birth. The only difference is that they have refined and enhanced them to superhuman capacities.

So, underneath all the grit, determination, strength, and courage lie simple life skills that are available to all of us, all of the time.

And surprisingly, the breath is the most powerful of them all.

To understand the power of the breath, it’s important to know how it affects the nervous system. So, let’s look at that now.

The nervous system

The autonomic nervous system is made up of two parts: The sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous is better known for activating our fight or flight response. The parasympathetic nervous system is better known for helping us rest and digest.

Now, what’s interesting is that both sides get activated when we breathe: The sympathetic nervous system gets activated when we inhale. The parasympathetic nervous system gets activated when we exhale.

The sympathetic nervous system monitors our body’s temperature, controls saliva levels, inhibits digestion, accelerates heart rate, dilates pupils, constricts blood vessels, raises blood pressure & perspiration (heat and sweat), and creates goose pimples. These combine to make the body highly alert, sharp, and focused and it happens every time we inhale.

The parasympathetic nervous system, on the other hand, helps to restore balance in the body, it slows and stabilises a resting heart rate, promotes digestion, improves recovery/healing time, produces saliva, and boosts the immune, digestive, and cardiovascular systems. These combine to make the body calm, relaxed, and open and it happens every time we exhale.

As we breathe in our diaphragm flattens, our lungs expand, and our heart contracts. This sends an incredibly speedy message up to the brain that then sends an incredibly speedy message back to the heart that says, “you must speed up”, so it does. Then as we breathe out the reverse is true. Our diaphragm lifts, our lungs compress, and our heart opens up. This sends an incredibly speedy message up to the brain that then sends an incredibly speedy message back to the heart that says, “you must slow down”, so it does. Whatever messages are sent thereafter create the thoughts that we think, the emotions that we feel, and the actions that we take.

The body has developed this incredibly fast response mechanism because it knows that the heart and brain must know what’s going on as quickly as possible whenever something changes. And what changes more than the ever-present breath?

Therefore, every breath that we breathe carries a message but we are the ones who deliver it.

So, among many other things, the Navy SEALs have mastered their breath and it’s one of the most effective tools they use to stay calm in chaotic situations.

Here is their most famous breath:

Box breathing

This technique is great for building emotional resilience, relieving stress, and creating a calm inner state.

It has gained tremendous popularity in recent years ever since the Navy SEALs revealed they use it to relieve stress in highly stressful situations.

It’s also a powerful technique for reducing anxiety.

Practicing box breathing

• Breathe in through your nose for 4–6 seconds
• Hold your breath in for 4–6 seconds
• Breathe out through your nose for 4–6 seconds
• Hold your breath out for 4–6 seconds
• Repeat for 5–10 minutes

Don’t be fooled here. Its simplicity is its power. And the incredible nature of the breath is that it comes with us everywhere, always. So, if a relationship can be formed it can be a silent superpower that we carry with us wherever we go in life. And not only that, it can be trusted and relied upon in every situation, especially the more challenging ones.

5. Inspired thinking

“Lions mustn’t concern themselves with the opinion of lambs” — Navy SEALs

What we think and say on a moment-to-moment basis determines who we become. Whether those thoughts are affirming or destructive, positive or negative, uplifting or destroying is, of course, a personal choice. But the good news is that they can be strengthened and cultivated in much the same way l a muscle can build and grow from being in the gym.

If we think, say, and do the same things over and over again, we end up believing them to be true. So, if our inner voice is one of positivity, strength, and a never-say-die attitude, that’s ultimately who and what we’ll become.

Whichever way you spin it though, everything starts as a thought in the head and then becomes real through our words and actions.

Here are four quotes by the Navy SEALs to inspire positive thinking:

“Slow is smooth and smooth is fast.”

“You’ve only got three choices in life: Give up, give in, or give it all you’ve got.”

“Failure is not falling down but refusing to get up.”

“Cowards never start. The weak never finish. Winners never quit.”

Closing thoughts

Not everyone is cut out to be a Navy SEAL or anything close to one for that matter. But what they showcase is that everyone can cultivate the kind of skills that can help them in life.

After all, no one’s born a Navy SEAL just like no one’s born a rockstar, a sports person, a surgeon, or a fighter pilot. They are all skills that have been nurtured and developed over time.

One thing is for sure though, teamwork, cultivating a strong mind, continued learning, forming a relationship with the breath, and positive thinking help to create the foundations for a very special and empowered life. The Navy SEALs are proof of it.

So, even if you consider yourself to be far away from all of these attributes, follow the wise words from the old adage — “fake it until you make it”. And begin to change your brain chemistry from the inside out.

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Or if you’ve been moved by the power of the breath (this thing we do some 15,000–20,000 times a day) discover my favourite breathwork technique here

Or alternatively — sign up for a free online masterclass here