Nervousness might be inhibiting you big time from achieving your goals and somewhere in the hindsight of your mind, you do realize that. While it is normal for us all to feel tense at some point in our lives followed by sweating hands, profusely perspiring forehead, armpits, for some this has turned into a routine thing. If you belong to the latter, then you need to come to terms with the fact that yes there are some situations which get on you and decapitates your every effort in the fields that you strive to achieve excellence in. Getting nervous need not always be triggered off by something big and intimidating but even by the smallest of things like trying to strike a conversation with someone, or attempting to make a speech. Take control of it by eradicating it from your personality. Try to follow these simple yet 10 effective tips given below and you would slowly realize a shift taking place.
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Exercise and meditate
You are infinitely stressing out yourself by preoccupying your mind with all sorts of apprehensions that things would go bad. What you need is calmness so that your brain can function in peace. Try breathing exercises or meditation every morning, be it for a negligible span of fifteen minutes. It would slow down your incredibly fast heart beat and bring you a moment of relaxation of which you are in desperate need.
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Mirror practicing
Going up on the stage makes you nauseous and gives you a dizzy head. You cannot stretch your life like that, tomorrow might demand of you to make a very important powerpoint presentation. What would you do then? Hiding in the closet is no option. Stand in front of a mirror and repeat the speech again and again that you are meant to deliver. This way you’d develop self-confidence and would become sure of what you are to do. Students revising for their test can explain the concepts to themselves standing in front of the mirror. Mirror technique is a sure savior.
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Thinking about it over and over again
In the beginning this might be somewhat of a debilitating exercise. But, the idea is to make you resistant to situations evoking nervousness in you. Thinking about a frightful situation over and over again would gradually make you lose the fear of it. You would become pretty used to the scenario in your head. This exercise is somewhat synonymous to the example of repeating the same word for a while till you lose the understanding of what it actually meant. This process is termed as semantic satiation.
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Act upon it
Once you are done with the mental practicing, go ahead and put yourself in a real situation. Take a step forward and strike a conversation with that person whom you had been wanting to talk to since long. Come in the spotlight and give the speech. It is the negative feeling and fear that had been holding you back. But, remember you have done your share of homework and it is time to test yourself. Try not being too critical and harsh upon your performance as it is your first actual step. The fact that you acknowledged your issues and took steps to eradicate it, counts.
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Accept criticism positively
Your boss or your teacher might be criticizing you at the moment only because they find amazing caliber in you and want you to strive for excellence. While on the surface it might come across as harsh to you, but realize that they are trying to dig you out from your comfort zone. Even if not appreciated in a healthy light, do not go back to being a nervous wreck. Listen to those feedbacks and act upon them effectively. There is nothing to lose here but only achieve.
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Analyze and delve into it
Assign yourself a project-you. Yes, sit and ponder over what actually triggers off that helpless version of you. It is not the situation that has been scaring the hell out of you but rather the fear of being publicly humiliated and insulted. Perhaps it is the stuttering that has become a great hindrance in your social life. There is no shame in seeking help from a speech therapist, after all it’s you who has to bear the sufferings otherwise.
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Count on sleep
No matter how mature you are, there cannot be a risk when it comes to having a good quality sleep. It is sheer common sense that a lack of sleep would make you lethargic and tired throughout the next day. It would affect your work performance and that becomes one of the reasons of being anxious and nervous for the fear of condemnation on reduced work performance. It’s a pretty clear equation that we have here.
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Maintain a journal
Express what you have been going through by writing it down. Be clear enough in your expressions. Perform this activity before going to bed every night. Doing so you would be gradually detaching from yourself all the fear and tension that you had been carrying. You can come back and read through those pages after months. That would make you realize that you did unburden yourself of a major weight.
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Laugh as much as you can
Your face would look a whole lot better if you replace that frown with a beaming smile. There need not be any reason. When feeling nervous or giddy, try recapitulating the most loved and joyous moments of your life. That would be a bliss that you would give to yourself. Besides this, laugh! Join one of those laughing sessions. That would be rejuvenating and enjoyable. Laugh, giggle, smile, merry. It might look as crazy to many, but why should you care if it’s actually making you feel good after a long while.
- Shout in paper bags
So, you have a very important event lined up? Shaky legs, trembling hands, sweaty forehead, drenched palms are just not leaving you or maybe the other way round. You are praying for Mother Earth to engulf you forever but here is a news-that just won’t happen. In such alarming situations, paper bags always come in handy. Gather up all your anxieties and dreads, think of the worst that can happen to you in the event, assemble it all in your voice, and blow it out in a paper bag and then burst it. It would help, temporarily though.
You need to combat that weakness on your own and not allow it to have an upper hand on you. The experience can be incapacitating undoubtedly, but why let it put you in a cocoon.