to pull oneself together / gather
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to pull oneself together
To control oneself and bring one's feelings or behavior under control; to concentrate.
Nimm dich zusammen und hör auf zu weinen, wir müssen jetzt eine Lösung finden.
Pull yourself together and stop crying; we need to find a solution now.
'Zusammennehmen' is a separable verb. The prefix 'zusammen-' comes at the end in a main clause. In subordinate clauses and in the infinitive with 'zu', the verb stays together.
Er nahm all seinen Mut zusammen und sprach sie an.
He gathered all his courage and spoke to her.
The object of the verb reveals the meaning. With a reflexive pronoun ('sich'), it means 'to control oneself'. With a thing as the object ('etwas'), it means 'to gather'. With a person as the object ('jemanden'), it colloquially means 'to scold someone'.
Nimm dich bitte zusammen!
Please pull yourself together!
In the meaning 'sich beherrschen' (to control oneself) or 'sich konzentrieren' (to concentrate), the verb must always be used reflexively with 'sich'. The reflexive pronoun changes to match the subject (ich nehme mich zusammen, du nimmst dich zusammen).
Ich muss mich wirklich zusammennehmen, um nicht zu lachen.
I really have to pull myself together so I don't laugh.
When it means 'sammeln' (to gather), 'zusammennehmen' is often combined with things that are bundled together. Typical phrases are: seine Sachen zusammennehmen (to gather one's things together), seine Papiere zusammennehmen (to gather one's papers together), or all seine Kraft zusammennehmen (to summon all one's strength).
Sie nahm all ihre Kraft zusammen, um den schweren Koffer zu heben.
She summoned all her strength to lift the heavy suitcase.
to collect / gather
'sich sammeln' and 'sich zusammennehmen' can both mean that you regain inner control. 'sich sammeln' emphasizes your thoughts and concentration more: you become calm and organize yourself internally. 'sich zusammennehmen' emphasizes self-control more strongly: you control your feelings or behavior. Learners may confuse the words because both fit in stressful situations. When it is about concentrating before a task, 'sich sammeln' sounds more natural. When someone is angry, nervous, or sad and is supposed to control themselves, 'sich zusammennehmen' fits better.
Nach der schlechten Nachricht nahm er sich zusammen und sprach ruhig weiter.
After the bad news, he pulled himself together and continued speaking calmly.
Vor der Prüfung blieb Lena kurz allein, um sich zu sammeln.
Before the exam, Lena stayed alone for a moment to collect herself.