I dreaded the telltale of nerves before a big exam or presentation. My heart pounding, sweaty palms, thoughts spiralling into a maze of what-ifs. I’d take deep breaths, try to relax, attempt to banish the butterflies. But fighting my anxiety only seemed to make it worse.
What I didn’t realize then was that anxiety was trying to help me. When we perceive stress as an ally, not an enemy, it becomes our secret power.
Reframe stress as a performance booster
Do you also feel anxious before an important presentation or exam? New research shows that by simply reframing how you view stress, you can transform it from a performance killer into a performance enhancer.
When you feel anxious, your body prepares you to face a challenge. Your heart races to pump more blood to your muscles and brain. Adrenaline gets released to sharpen your mind.
These are the same physiological responses that elite athletes experience before a big game. For them, sweaty palms aren’t a sign of impending failure. They’re a sign they’re ready to perform.
Amazingly, adopting this “stress-is-enhancing” mindset is often all it takes to turn anxiety into an advantage. An analysis of multiple studies by psychologist Jeremy Jamieson found:
Stress only hurts performance when we interpret it as a sign we’re ill-equipped to handle a challenge. But we can choose a different interpretation. We can welcome stress as a tool that unleashes our full abilities.
Steps to harness your anxiety for challenges
Next time you feel anxious before a presentation or exam, use these techniques:
No matter how much you prepare, feeling anxious is normal before a big challenge. Don’t fight the feeling. Channel it into sharper focus and more dynamic energy.
Bottom line
Next time your heart starts pounding before a big presentation or exam, don’t try to calm down. Instead, tell yourself, “This is my body helping me rise to this challenge.”
Anxiety is simply the price you pay for a meaningful life. Once you understand that, it becomes a powerful tool rather than a paralyzing handicap. Channel that nervous energy. Tap into the hidden benefits of stress. Because the biggest secret to peak performance isn’t getting rid of anxiety – it’s getting better at anxiety.
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