get a grip (to) [exp] - English idiom

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Meaning:

to take control of someone’s feeling.

improve someone’s behavior.

Examples:

Stop overacting, get a grip on yourself.

I’ve never seen you so sad! you have to get a grip.
After hearing the shocking news, he had to get a grip before he could respond.
She felt overwhelmed at work, but her manager advised her to get a grip and take one task at a time.

When he started to panic, his friend told him to get a grip and think clearly.

Synonyms phrases for “to get a grip”

To steady yourself

To get calmer or ask or make someone to do so.

As he went bankrupt, he got so angry, but he tried to steady herself.

He took a deep breath to steady himself before his TED talk.
After arguing with the man, she couldn’t steady himself and yelled at him.
The coach asked all players steady themselves, in case of wrong whistling of the referee.

To control oneself

Used to invite people who is hyperactive to control over their behavior and action.

I think he had to control himself during the argument to keep things calm.
She tried to control herself when she saw the surprise gift.

It’s necessary to control oneself in stressful situations rather than sudden acts.
He couldn’t control himself from laughing during that serious meeting and gave it LOL.

To regain one’s composure

To be relax after feeling upset and not to be angry anymore.

It was so hard for her to regained her composure after a stressful disputation.
Pressing your palm can help you regain your composure.
It took me an hour to regain my composure after seeing the assault scene.

Each team is allowed to called a timeout in volleyball match, so the squad could regain their composure.

To recover oneself

To try to keep yourself quiet and relax after being sad.

As she found that her father is ill, she tried not be irritated while talking to him and recovers herself after talking to him, especially when her father talks aggressively.

That was not too hard for her to recover herself for answering the difficult question during the interview.
It wasn’t easy for him to recover himself for diminishing anger.
The actor briefly recovered himself to perform calmly.

To pull oneself together

We can say together to a person who is confident and thinks without stress and act reasonable.

She has heard bad news. She needs to take a moment to pull herself together before going back to work.
He was clearly upset after the feud, but he managed to pull himself together.

You should pull yourself together if you’re going to make it through this interview well.
She wept for a few minutes, then wiped her tears and pulled herself together in front of the crowd.

To simmer down

To become cool after losing the temper.

It took him a while to simmer down after the fight with the man whom he had accident with.
The man gave her a piece of advice “simmer down and think for three second before saying something she might regret.”
You cannot simmer down the kids, unless you play the movie that they like.

“Give him a minute to simmer down,” she said, “he just needs some space right now to become calm.”

To get hold of yourself

This idiom kind of stems from “to get hold of something” which means take that thing in your hands. “To get hold of oneself” means take you or your temper in your hand and get the control of yourself to prevent bad effect of being aggressive.

He wanted to speak angrily by the salesman, but his friend told him firmly to get hold of himself before making things worse.

You need to get hold of yourself; shouting won’t proceed anything.
She knows how to get hold of herself and reacting emotionally may all things that they have built during these months.
If the Barcelona’s players hadn’t got hold of themselves, they wouldn’t have comeback at that match.

To get your act together

Be calm, do the things and behave in an organized and more effective way.

If you want that new job and more salary, you really need to get your act together.
Stop being disconsolate and disappointed. it’s time to get your act together and show people your capabilities.

She told him sincerely, “Either get your act together or stop wasting everyone’s time.” He cannot irritate everyone by speaking angrily.

To regain your self-control

Self-control is an ability of sensibly behave when you are angry or annoyed. To regain that means recover and gain it to act perfect.

He practiced a lot for how to regain his self-control to speak calmly in high-tension meetings.

The man insulted her, but she paused for a moment to regain her self-control to respond him logically.
It’s not always possible to regain your self-control when losing the temper, but it’s practical if you have that power.
She clenched her jaw, and tried to regain her self-control before the situation got worse.

To think straight

If someone can’t think straight, they cannot concentrate clearly because of anger.

Fury can prevent from thinking straight.
You’re too upset to think straight right now. I recommend you go walking and think more about it in peace.

She was speaking with anger, unable to think straight or make a good decision.
When emotions take over, it becomes almost impossible to think straight and handle things wisely.

To be laid-back

Somebody who is laid-back is all the time and is never annoyed.

I’m sure most of the laid-back people, are the most successful people because of not being stressed-out in important situations.
She seems to be laid-back all the time; nothing can make her feel panic.
You have to be laid-back to work in that kind of fast-paced environment without losing your cool.

It’s admirable that people who want to be laid-back, this ability makes their decision and work more efficiently.

Quiz

Quiz; "to get a grip"

1 / 4

What does "to get a grip" mean?

To hold onto something tightly

To calm down and recover self-control

To buy a strong tool or handle

To grab an opportunity

2 / 4

Which of the following sentences uses "to get a grip" in the correct way?

After slipping on the ice, I managed to get a grip on the railing.

You need to get a grip and stop panicking about the test results.

She got a grip on the ladder before climbing up.

They got a grip on the market by launching a new product.

3 / 4

If a person says, "I need to get a grip," what are they likely feeling?

Confident and composed

Excited about an upcoming event

Uncertain about their choices

Overwhelmed or losing control

4 / 4

In which of the following situation someone might say, "get a grip"?

Telling a friend to calm down after they start yelling at a waiter

Encouraging a teammate to hold the bat tightly during a game

Advising someone to seize an opportunity at work

Asking someone to focus on the road while driving

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