Not so different: Nervousness vs Excitement
We all get nervous from time to time. Although feeling occasionally nervous is mostly not a big deal, some of us suffer by experiencing nervousness more frequently and to a degree which feels paralysing and is holding us back from being our authentic selves and performing to the best of our abilities.
Whether nervousness is just an occasional occurrence or a dreaded and loyal companion, you can turn it into something good.
When we get nervous our heart starts beating faster, our breath speed increases, we sweat more and our hands get clammy. And what happens to our bodies when we get excited? Our hearts start beating faster, our breath speed increases, we sweat more and our hands get clammy. That’s right! Both nervousness and excitement trigger the same bodily response.
Turning Nervousness into Excitement
Regardless the situation, our body is telling us that we feel either nervous or excited – and it’s up to us what we choose to feel! For example, if we are about to walk into a difficult situation such as a dreaded board meeting or a neighbour dispute, our body reacts and we interpret those feelings naturally as nervousness. And because we do and allow nervousness to take over, the way we feel and behave is being impacted on negatively.
The good news is that as the symptoms of nervousness and excitement are same, we can literally tell our nervous body that the feelings we are experiencing are EXCITEMENT. Feel what you feel and keep telling yourself with conviction multiple times that you are excited. As you draw your attention away from nervousness and start focusing on feeling excited, you will experience a shift! Although your bodily symptoms won’t change, you will start feeling more positive, confident, eager, happy – EXCITED!
The power of our mind can harness the symptoms of nervousness and turn them into something good.
It’s up to us to recognise and embrace the feelings, to take a moment and to harness the power of feeling nervous! With a little practice, this process will become natural and you will find the shift from feeling nervous to feeling EXCITED increasingly easier.
What can we learn from top-performers…
Athletes and performing artists have already recognised this and have trained themselves to automatically interpret the described bodily symptoms as EXCITEMENT. Have you watched the recent Royal Wedding? The young man playing the cello was interviewed after the wedding. The reporter asked him with conviction “No doubt that you felt nervous playing at such an important event!?” The young man’s response was somewhat surprising to the reporter as he said “No I didn’t feel nervous, I was excited!” The way he has trained himself to interpret his bodily symptoms and the story behind them allowed him to perform excellently.
You can achieve the same for yourself!
