The surprising relationship between anxiety and excitement
Get it together. You’ll mess everything up if you can’t calm down.
I was gearing up for a presentation when the thought hit me: if I don’t calm down fast, I might blow it.
Normally, I don’t get too nervous about public speaking, but this time felt different. I was presenting to a peer group that I respect immensely, and I was sharing some important details about our product strategy. While the event was exciting, I couldn’t keep my mind off what was at stake. And it showed.
As I reviewed my talking points, my heart began to pound so loudly I could have sworn it was visible through my shirt. But my efforts to persuade myself into a state of complete calm were counterproductive. The more I tried to convince myself to chill out, the more nervous I became.
The sensation felt oddly familiar. I remembered getting ready for a first date in high school or driving to my first post-college job interview. Both situations would negatively affect me if they went poorly — but if they went well, they could be positive experiences.
In all of these instances, I was certainly anxious. But beneath the nerves was something more poignant: excitement. I wanted these scenarios to go well because I cared so much. And isn’t that a good thing?
