get a grip on (oneself)

get a grip on (oneself)

To control one's reactions or emotions, especially during or after a stressful situation. After losing her job, Jill needed to calm down and get a grip on herself in order to drive home safely. You're not going to be able to think clearly until you get a grip on yourself.See also: get, grip, on

get a grip on

Also, have a grip on. Obtain mastery or control over something or someone. For example, Get a grip on yourself or the reporters will give you a hard time, or, as Arthur Conan Doyle put it in Sherlock Holmes (1894): "I have a grip on the essential facts of the case." This expression transfers a firm physical hold to emotional or intellectual control. [Late 1800s] See also: get, grip, on

get a grip on yourself

or

get a grip

INFORMALIf you get a grip on yourself or get a grip, you succeed in controlling yourself and your emotions, so that you can deal with a difficult situation. A bit of me was very frightened and I consciously had to get a grip on myself. He told himself to get a grip: he had to stay calm. Note: You can also say that you keep a grip on yourself, meaning that you continue to control yourself and your emotions. He was trying his best to keep a grip on himself.See also: get, grip, on

get/take a ˈgrip/ˈhold on yourself

(informal) make an effort to control your feelings, especially in a difficult situation: I know you’re nervous, but you must get a grip on yourself. You’re due to go on stage in five minutes. ♢ Look, Ben, get a grip, will you? If we panic now, we’ll be finished.See also: get, grip, hold, on, take