Calmness or,nonchalance is themental state ofpeace of mind, being free from agitation, excitement, ordisturbance.[1] It also refers to being in a state of serenity, tranquillity, or peace.[2] Calmness can most easily occur for the average person during relaxation, but it can also be found during much more alert and aware states.[3] Some people find that focusing the mind on something external, such as studying, or internal, such as breathing, can be very calming.
Parental soothing (by rocking, holding, etc.) in infancy lays the foundations of the capacity to self-calm.[4] Thereaftertransitional objects can help maintain calmness,[5] while pets asself-objects[clarification needed] also promote soothing and calmness.[6]
Calmness is a quality that can be cultivated and increased with practice,[7][better source needed] or developed through psychotherapy.[8] It usually requires training for one's mind to stay calm in the face of a great deal of different stimulation, and possible distractions, especially emotional ones. Thenegative emotions are the greatest challenge to someone who is attempting to cultivate a calm mind. Some disciplines that promote and develop calmness areprayer,yoga,tai chi,martial arts,theatre arts,gardening,[9]relaxation training,breath training, andmeditation.Jon Kabat-Zinn states that "Your mindfulness will only be as robust as the capacity of your mind to be calm and stable. Without calmness, the mirror of mindfulness will have an agitated and choppy surface and will not be able to reflect things with any accuracy."[10][better source needed]
Another term associated with calmness is "peace".[1] A mind that is at peace or calm will cause the body to produce fewer stress hormones; this in turn gives the person a stable emotional state and promotes good health in every area of life, includingmarriage.[12] It is beneficial to stay calm, especially during stressful events.[13]
The term comes fromMiddle Englishcalme, fromOld French, fromOld Italiancalmo, fromLate Latincauma, "heat of the day", the "resting place in the heat of the day", from Greekkauma, burning heat, fromkaiein, to burn.[2]
Gibbon praisedBoethius: “the sage who could artfully combine in the same work, the various riches of philosophy, poetry, and eloquence, must already have possessed the intrepid calmness, which he affected to seek”.[14]
Lord David Cecil sawWuthering Heights as dominated by the contrast between what he called on the one hand “the principle of storm... and on the other, the principle of calm – of the gentle, the merciful, the passive, and the tame”.[16]
