The feelings we experience during anxiety (a fearful/worried state) and the feelings we experience during excitement are physiologically the same. In both situations we breathe shorter and shallower, our heart beats faster, cortisol surges through our veins, and the body prepares for the action of fight or flight.
The only difference between the two is that excitement is a positive emotion whereas fear is not. Alison Wood Brooks from Harvard Business School discovered that people who reappraise their feelings of anxiousness as excitement, felt more excited and performed better in most situations.
When in a state of anxiety, we are reacting from our limbic system, the automatic part of our brain where no thought is required. We are in panic mode to react quickly. When we are excited, the same thing happens, we are reacting from our limbic system. So, what is the advantage of turning anxiety into excitement? When excited we are more likely to take on the challenge.
Fear is an emotion used to keep us safe, usually by avoiding the situation or by going through it with so much caution that we won't perform at our best. If we continually avoid a situation each time that we became fearful we would never learn from the experience and would remain static (stagnant).
It is about changing the way we view our reaction - are we afraid or are we excited? Always choose the latter.
Here's how to change anxiety into excitement. Whenever you feel in a state of anxiety or fear, follow these steps:
Tell yourself repeatedly that you are excited about what is happening around you. If applicable, say it aloud.
Remember that the emotional reaction you are feeling is the exact same reaction as being excited.
Feel the excitement, notice the feeling in your stomach, notice your fast breathing and your heart pounding.
Slow your breathing by taking longer and deeper breathes - slowly inhale for as long as possible, slowly exhale for as long as possible.
Now notice your feelings again, they are the same but 'feel' more positive. Embrace that feeling, get comfortable with it.
Notice the difference, they are the same feelings however your outlook will have changed, you will be in a positive mindset to take on what is confronting you. Simply slow your breathing by inhaling and exhaling deeper. Slowing our breathing slows our heart rate which slows our thoughts, and we will be more likely to take on what's challenging us.
The more I read about the brain the more it is evident that working against it, i.e., forcing ourselves to calm down in an anxious situation, the less likely we are to succeed. It is difficult to calm down with high levels of adrenaline and cortisol surging through our body and brain. Forcing our thoughts does not work, usually it makes things worse.
Simply, changing our physiological response by slowing our breathing results in us more likely to overcome our anxiety and fears. Furthermore, focusing on the positive outcome of overcoming what is causing the anxiety rather than just focusing on the negative emotions will increase the opportunity to turn anxiety into excitement.
As we move into the 2023 working year, we will all be facing new challenges. Start the year with a positive mindset of taking on all new challenges in both your work and personal life, don't shy away from them. For we are all better and stronger than we think we are, we just need to keep reminding ourselves of it.
Getting comfortable with the uncomfortable makes the uncomfortable more comfortable. Just slow your breathing!
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