It doesn’t take much, but it does take an effort.
How did you respond when you drew a blank in an important situation? Couldn’t find a name when the pressure was on? Hit ‘Reply all’ and sent an embarrassing email to everyone? Gave a presentation and got lost in mental Never Never Land? Went for an audition, an interview or to take a test and…came up lame?! It happens, but some learn tools to fix it. Below are 3 little shifts to manage anxiety. It’s all in your head! It all starts with the almond shaped part of the brain called the amygdala. This is the oldest part of the human brain and in charge of basic instinct reactions of anxiety, fear and anger. Survival reactions. Lots of cortisol and adrenaline being produced in the brain. Breath gets short, dumb words come out of our mouths, sweats, heart racing. These reactions came in handy back in the day, hundreds of thousands of years ago, but these days, not so much. When these reactions are controlled, and they can be, we get to respond rather than react. Usually the results translate to easier test passing, better public presentations, stronger sales performances, spot on interviews and auditions, more comfortable relationships, etc. Here are a few easy things to do to gain control of your emotions and make a positive difference. It takes some practice, ‘cause what’s easy to do is also easy not to do. Here are 3 little shifts to manage anxiety. |
3 Little shifts to manage anxiety 1) Label the emotion. Labeling the emotion as ‘fear,’ ‘anxiety,’ panic’ etc. breaks the negative feedback loop from your mind to your body. Articulating the feeling has shown to minimize that feeling’s response in the body. 2) Slow your breathing down. Preferably inhale for a count of two and exhale for a count of 4. This sends the message to your parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest) to turn up and your sympathetic system (fight or flight) to turn down. 3) Rename the emotion. Revisit the original feeling and give it (re-frame) a more appropriate and helpful name, such as excitement or anticipation. Isn’t this what you would do for one of your children? If not, think it’s a good idea? Lots of folks are walking around with negative past programing, recreating the cycle time after time. Little shifts in consciousness CAN create huge bottomline differences. Other ways of tapping into greater calm: Gratitude lists, lower cortisol and boost emotions. Send 2-5 positive/supportive emails to people you care about to start your day. Good for them…good for you. Searching for and finding a positive spin can make a day/life better. The benefit is in the work needed to see the lesson. And there’s always a lesson. Mindful meditation and/or hypnosis can lower heart rate help manage stress and anxiety. In the case of hypnosis, it can reshape habits feaster and easier by forming new neural pathways (habits). |