Walking into an interview room or being trapped in a hoard of people on the underground can stir up butterflies in even the most confident of people.
For some, dealing with anxiety can interfere with simple tasks in everyday life, especially when stress leads to spikes in cortisol (and a brain-blurring overload).
These five steps will make dealing with anxiety during stress-inducing situations a little easier and will help you harness the much-maligned emotion for your own benefit.
Dealing with anxiety: Five steps to ease tension
1. Have a plan B
When the pressure is on, your ‘fight or flight’ response kicks in, flooding your body with adrenaline and sending your logic on leave.
‘Create a plan B, C and D for all possible outcomes,’ suggests performance psychologist Dr. Steve Bull. ‘Athletes do “what if?” planning.’
Take back control and deal with anxiety by giving yourself a solution for whatever happens.
2. Talk the talk
As well as messing with your mind, adrenaline overload can cause you to freeze.
If that rabbit in the headlights reaction is your biggest fear going into a job interview or the like, don’t pre-empt it, it’s not a good way of dealing with anxiety.
‘Never mention about cracking under pressure,’ says Dr. Bull. ‘It’s proven that if you think you’re going to choke prior to your performance, you’re far more likely to do so.’
3. Embrace butterflies
Not just confined to the starting line of a race, those stomach-flipping nerves can crop up any time you feel out of your depth.
But dealing with anxiety next time you feel those butterflies doesn’t need to be impossible, treat them as a sign that your body is primed to perform.
‘Butterflies aren’t a problem,’ says Dr. Bull. ‘It’s just a case of helping them fly in formation. Tell yourself: “This is what I want – I’m ready to go.”‘
4. Dwell on the past
The most stressful situations can happen when you’re on the cusp of something great – like a new relationship.
And the thought of not reaching the prize can encourage the ‘I hope I don’t screw it up’ response.
‘To boost your confidence, remember past successes,’ says Dr. Bull. Deal with anxiety by constantly practising this positive reinforcement to keep nerves at bay.
5. Eyes on the prize
Stress isn’t simply something to be banished. When you’re in a high-pressure sitch, your brain switches from auto-pilot to a hyperaware state.
This can speed up your responses and decision-making time.
Dr. Bull suggests a method he uses with Olympians when he is dealing with anxiety: ‘Visualise yourself performing faultlessly to retain this response.’ Go on, go for gold.
