5 Ways Clever People Use Their Anxiety To Become More Successful
What if your anxiety could fuel your success instead of holding you back?
Rawpixel.com | Shutterstock.com Anxiety is your body's natural response to stressful situations. The unnerving emotion is accompanied by fear, stress, and worry.
Everyone experiences a bit of anxiety, but for many, it can become a debilitating condition that can strike at any time. While anxiety can cause someone to sink into an emotional shell, it also can be a positive emotion that motivates people to go out in the world and give their best.
Anxiety can be harnessed positively. Excessive fear prevents many people from engaging in daily activities or taking necessary actions for their careers and personal fulfillment. Accepting anxiety as natural allows individuals to manage it constructively, transforming panic into a tool for productivity.
Here are 5 ways clever people use their anxiety to become more successful:
1. Turn anxiety into excitement.
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The general reaction of people facing anxiety is to try to calm down. However, the best strategy to channel anxiety into productivity is to consider it a more positive emotion: excitement.
A Harvard Business School report shows that reframing fear and restlessness as excitement boosts productivity and performance compared to trying to remain calm. Since excitement and anxiety trigger similar arousal, turning negative emotions into positive ones is advantageous.
When feeling anxious, you can reaffirm your excitement by saying out loud, "I am excited. " This straightforward strategy will shift your mindset from searching for threats to focusing on and grabbing opportunities.
2. Make meditation a daily habit.
Meditation is training your mind to remain peaceful, focused, and stress-free. It is also proven to mitigate the symptoms of depression and anxiety.
The regular practice of meditation is believed to deliver results comparable to those of antidepressants. With your new, composed self, you can push the boundaries of your comfort zone and get back in the game.
The mindfulness technique is proven to be the most beneficial for anxiety. Combined with diaphragmatic breathing, it stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, helps one acknowledge one's emotions rather than being overwhelmed by them, and deactivates the body's "fight or flight" response.
3. Create empowering mantras.
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Mantra chanting is a robust tool to develop a counter-narrative to anxiety-provoking thoughts.
To create your mantra, identify your dominant anxious thoughts and write them down. Then, formulate positive counter-statements.
For instance, transform "I'm not worthy" into "I've come so far; I deserve the opportunities and experiences I desire." Recite these affirmations with conviction daily and during anxious moments.
4. Set time to confront your worries.
Entrepreneurs, professionals, and employees are used to handling several problems at once every day. They often feel a sense of urgency to deal with everything right now. They constantly fear falling behind or missing out, which triggers anxiety and stress.
Instead of avoiding your fears, make plan to face what's giving you anxiety so you can break the hold your fears have over you. Instead of messing up your current duty, assign an hour or a few minutes to your calendar to acknowledge your worries.
This simple solution saves time, makes you more efficient, and boosts productivity.
Avoiding your anxieties can actually make them worse, creating something called meta-worry or meta-anxieties. Dr. Alicia Clark, a psychologist focused on treating anxiety, wrote, " It’s hard enough to feel anxious about something we care about; it’s even worse to feel afraid of how we’re feeling, especially when that very fear drives anxiety to, often, debilitating levels."
Acknowledging your worries with a free mind makes you more likely to find the best solutions.
5. Use sound therapy to help you stay calm.
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Sound therapy is one of the most soothing ways of directing negative emotions into positive ones. Empowered with binaural beats, calming music stimulates the ear-brain connection and relieves anxiety, introducing a self-assured and confident sense of being.
Sound therapy can be personalized based on a person's date of birth and name to infuse positive feelings. After assessing your needs, a credentialed sound therapist can provide a personalized session.
Depending upon your behavioral patterns and anxiety triggers, these sessions can help you to reanalyze your negative emotions and transform them into more positive ones. As we all know, a happy, content, and energetic mindset favors productivity.
Sidhharrth Kumaar is an astro-numerologist and Founder of NumroVani. He couples his knowledge of modern sciences to solve real-world problems in the areas of mental well-being and relationship growth.