Many people view anxiety as an uncomfortable, often paralyzing feeling that comes up without warning at the most inopportune times. People who experience chronic anxiety do their best to shake off those disturbing emotions in life.
Whether it’s asking someone out for prom, getting on a plane, preparing for an interview, or introducing yourself to a new crowd, most people in those settings experience some degree of anxiety. Although the impact of anxiety and its symptoms vary from person to person, people with such a problem experience a variety of dire symptoms, such as handshakes, weak knees, sweaty palms, and elevated heart rates and blood pressure.
As a result, most people tend to avoid any anxiety-provoking situation rather than deal with it. Although it is largely perceived as immensely dangerous, many people believe that anxiety can play a critical role in improving a person’s performance. Anxiety is apparently a healthy emotion that can steer people in the right direction when properly harnessed and positively treated to make the condition worse. Therefore, it all depends on the way in which the affected person responds to any situation that causes anxiety.
Accept anxiety instead of suppressing it
In an effort to avoid anxiety, a person may reject favorable opportunities that come their way and avoid making decisions that take them out of their comfort zone. These people largely perceive stressful events as a threat (real or imagined) rather than a challenge.
Interestingly, in most cases, these events do not indicate a lost cause. In fact, anxiety is not necessarily a bad thing; People who take the stressful life-changing events mentioned above as a challenge tend to increase their energy due to anxiety. Therefore, awareness of the ins and outs of this emotion can enable a person to turn the tables on the debilitating effects of anxiety and perform better.
Biologically, when an individual encounters a stressful or dangerous situation, their fight or flight instinct is activated in response to the threat. This response to stress is commonly known as anxiety. When a person’s anxiety is rampant, it can cause them to feel trapped in a precarious situation. Fortunately, these circumstances are often not life threatening.
A study published in the Journal of Individual Differences explored the relationship between anxiety and performance by determining how people use emotions such as anxiety as a source of motivation. Researchers found that anxiety, rather than hindering, can potentially improve a person’s performance. They found that people performed better when they acknowledged their anxiety rather than repressed it. Those who are open to accepting their anxiety tend to spend qualitative time on their goals.
As mentioned above, this was particularly evident among people who viewed stressful events as challenges rather than dangerous threats. These findings suggest that people in touch with their emotions (clarity of feelings) are more likely to thrive even under anxiety by using them positively to achieve their goals and find job satisfaction.
Actions absorb anxiety
When anxiety knocks on your door, there are two ways to respond to it. While one involves escaping, avoiding and denying it, the other scenario involves embracing those uncomfortable feelings. By being aware that anxiety provides an opportunity to improve performance, the positive aspects of anxiety can be explored.
This can also help alleviate anxiety symptoms that can become adverse in the long run. Although it can be a difficult task to accomplish this on the first few attempts, a person can gradually learn to mold their anxiety and nervousness into jet propellers that allow them to aim high.
According to the American Psychological Association (APA), anxiety is defined as an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts, and physical changes, such as increased blood pressure. When one’s ability to handle anxiety depreciates, it leaves one vulnerable to the adverse consequences of this emotion. When severe anxiety permeates every aspect of a person’s life, they are most likely experiencing full-blast anxiety disorder.
