Success Above Anxiety
Anxiety is a very broad and vast malady. There is social anxiety, test taking anxiety, and anxiety involved with new experiences. Anxiety can actually creep up in near to any situation, and it’s a bit more imposing than the description of just feeling anxious.
When people examine anxiety on a surface level, they may label feeling anxious as a brief, light, and fluttery feeling, which is completely different than the actuality of the rapid, hard-pounding heartbeat, the difficulty breathing, the paralyzing fear involved with a lot of anxiety cases. From my own experience, when I have to take a test at school, I find it very hard to calm my anxiety. My mouth gets very dry and I feel my heart pounding in my throat. My hands get clammy and my stomach is full of butterflies. I know how it can feel overwhelming and make you feel powerless. Anxiety, like shyness, can consume you.
Despite how it might make you feel though, you’re not completely helpless and defenseless. You can be above anxiety, you are above it. All that you have to do is realize that. You are in control.
When you’re taking a test, even if you’ve studied hard and know the material, anxiety has the power to hinder your performance. From my own experience, when I have high anxiety during a test, I find it hard to think and choose the right answer. Anxiety makes me second guess myself, therefore it has the power to make me choose wrong. Don’t give it that power. Keep the control and your success in your hands. Count down until the anxiety starts to lessen. Take deep breaths and clear your mind before the test, remind yourself that you have studied, you know the material, you can do well. That type of reassuring belief will go a long way in combating anxiety.
The same tool can be used in social anxiety situations, anxiety in the face of new experiences, and all anxiety cases, really. Start by taking deep breaths; reassure yourself that if you are true to your real personality, people will like you. If the situation is right for you, you will make new friends and the right people will accept you.
With new experiences, once again, take deep breaths, trust that you may like them, ask yourself what harm can come from simply trying it? Is it worth it to you? Will you be disappointed and feel like you missed out if you let the new experience pass you by?
With all types of anxiety, it’s all about belief. Belief is one of the biggest weapons of defense that you have. No one can prevent anxiety from ever showing up in their lives, but when it does pop up, we all possess the power to show it the door. You can decide how long to dwell on it, and you can choose the level to which it will affect you. By taking even small steps to recognize and regulate anxiety, you have the power to maximize your level of success.
