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These instant confidence boosters can help you overcome your nerves
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Trick your brain into calm
- Become aware of your safety and breathing. Your fight or flight response may be in overdrive.
- Take note of five things you can see, four things you can hear, three things you can touch, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste.
- Quiet your fears by visualizing a stream flowing past you. Each time a thought pops into your head, imagine the thought as a leaf on the stream.
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Using affirmations
Remind yourself how awesome you are with affirmations. Write down affirmations that remind you of your capabilities and strengths and keep them somewhere you can find them if nerves strike.
Another suggestion is to keep a file of praise, awards, and other evidence of how good you are at your job an read them when you are struggling with a confidence crisis.
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Get clear about your feelings
Take a moment to really analyze what you’re feeling and strategize for that.
Can you reframe negative feelings, like fear, into something more positive, like anticipation? If not, remind yourself that it’s perfectly normal to be nervous before a high-stakes situation.
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Phone a friend
If you’ve got a mentor or someone who’s just really good at helping you calm down and focus, reach out.
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Observe, Accept, and Reframe
Recognizing and accepting the fact you're being nervous before an important presentation will help you more than trying to fight those anxious feelings. Resistance creates even more angst.
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Focus on Your Body
Instead of being swept in the spiral of negative thoughts like 'What if I fail? What will they think of me? try to be aware of your physical sensations: how your heart beats, how the air fills your lungs, the heat and sweat you feel.
This will anchor you in the present moment and calm your nerves.
Tips For Calming Your Nerves
- Make sure you get a good night’s sleep, that you're hydrated and that you had a good meal before.
- Be careful with your caffeine intake before a big presentation so that your heart rate isn’t already elevated.
- Strike a power pose. Research shows it can shift your mood and make you feel more confident.
- Own the space. If you can, get to the room early and really imagine owning it.
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Workplace Anxiety
It happens when you feel restless and stuck, and you have a sense of vague fear which leads to unproductiveness. It is an existential feeling that is hard to articulate. A constant sens...
Anxiety Vs Negative Emotion
Negative emotions (lack of confidence, toxic energy, fear) can also cause anxiety. The difference between the two is the feeling of being unsafe that comes with anxiety.
When you are anxious, the ability to think clearly is lost, and so is the perspective. Breathing exercises and making space in your mind by slowing down is the first step towards remaining calm in this general state of anxiety.
Objectify The Problem
Start journaling, asking specific questions to bring the main issue in focus, to get organized and gain clarity. Ask yourself these four questions:
- What feels wrong?
- How can the problem be defined?
- What are the fears with regards to making changes?
- What actions can be taken that would improve the situation?
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Frequency of breath
Even though we have been breathing for all our lives, we can still learn a lot about this most basic instinct.
Quick, shallow, and unfocused breathing may contribute to anxiety, depression, ...
Breathwork
Breathwork is not the same as mindfulness. Mindfulness involves passive observation of the breath, whereas breathwork requires you to actively change the way you breathe.
Breathwork includes ensuring you breath with your diaphragm, rather than the movement of your chest. It will fill your lungs with more air while also slowing the pace of your breathing.
Speed ramp to relaxation
Right breathing can have a profound effect on calming the mind quickly and can act as a speed ramp into the meditation practice by getting you to that place of no-thought.