If 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.