Optimal Anxiety

Breaking out of your comfort zone makes you feel vulnerable, but that feeling works in your favor because it improves your performance and boosts your growth. A  constant state of comfort equals steady performance.

Too much anxiety, however, will make you too stressed to be productive. 

In most cases, once you do something scary, you realize it’s not as bad as you thought—it was just the anticipation that frightened you more than anything.

Setting a goal can help you get past that anticipation and feel in control of your vulnerability.

If you're overthinking an idea you can actually do something about, the best thing you can do is take action now.

This doesn't mean you have to suddenly run off to make something, it just means you start taking a step forward. We tend to overthink because we fear failure, but if we just start working, that dissipates quickly

• Relabel the ideas you're overthinking ("self-doubt," "anxiety," etc)
  
• Reframe your experience and identify your thinking errors
  
• Refocus your attention on the part that matters
  
• Revalue your brain's messages with the new information
  

"If you focus on what you left behind, you will never be able to see what lies ahead." 

"To avoid criticism say nothing, do nothing, be nothing."

"Everything you've ever wanted is on the other side of fear.”

• Make sure you've identified the real causes of your unhappiness. Keep a diary of events and problems.
• Give it a chance. Many things, like diets, require time to work out.
• Try many other solutions.
• Have a backup plan. Know what you're going to do if you quit and what you need to do to prepare for that.

Our brains equate darkness with the frightening side of unlimited possibility. As we become adults, we eventually become comfortable enough to move through the dark without a light. 

However, 40% of respondents in a survey said they were afraid to walk around the house with the light off. 10% won't get out of bed to use the bathroom in the middle of the night.

In some cases, fear may be powerful enough to cause chronic insomnia. However, a person may not be able to sleep because their mind starts to wander. 

They may think what if someone breaks into their house. Instead of realizing the associations may indicate a fear of the dark, they inadvertently assume they have a fear of burglars.

After you eat, get up and do something a bit more active—even if it's just washing dishes or taking out the trash. It'll avoid that post-meal drowsiness, and it's a great time to have a 10-minute cleaning burst to keep your house looking nice.

Napping can make it more difficult to fall asleep at night:

If, after you've thoroughly tested your evening routine and gotten better sleep, you still feel drowsy, you can try adding a power nap to your day, preferably during the early afternoon. 

There are two types of mindset: fixed and growth.

The first one can be met at individuals who believe that both success and failure are based mainly on innate abilities, which cannot be changed throughout one's lifetime, while the second mindset describes a person who is aware of the changes and improvements that the personal actions can bring.

Our mindset is said to be shaped by previous experiences as well as by a reward-based learning system.

Getting the necessary motivation while facing new challenges with a positive mindset can truly change your experience.

These comparisons often use less energy than absolute measurements. For e.g, it’s easier to remember which of your cousins is the tallest than exactly how tall each cousin is. Human brains have likely evolved to use relative comparisons in many situations because they often provide enough information to safely navigate our environments, with very little effort.

Our brains have two modes:

• focused mode, which we use when we’re doing things like learning something new, writing or working) and 
• diffuse mode, which is our more relaxed, daydreamy mode when we’re not thinking so hard.

The mind solves its stickiest problems while daydreaming—something you may have experienced while driving or taking a shower.

When you work on a task continuously, it’s easy to lose focus and get lost in the weeds. In contrast, following a brief intermission, picking up where you left off forces you to take a few seconds to think globally about what you’re ultimately trying to achieve.