to 0 mph. It’s like trying to stop a freight train by throwing a boulder in front of it;
it’ll jump the tracks.
A study in the journal Behavior Research and Therapy showed that people who
naturally try to suppress their unwanted thoughts end up being more distressed by said
thoughts. That’s right, when you try to tell yourself to just calm down, you make
the anxiety worse because you are fighting against it! When you understand how
panic works, what it is, and the role your brain has in making it worse, you can beat
it.
There are two strategies that work incredibly well together: Using the
#5SecondRule to assert control over your mind and then reframing the anxiety as
excitement so that your brain doesn’t escalate it and your body can calm down.
Here’s how you do it.
Excitement and Anxiety Feel the Same In Your Body
I first used this “reframing strategy” as a public speaker. I get a lot of questions
about public speaking and specifically how did I get over my fears and nerves about
public speaking. My answer always surprises people: I have never gotten over my
fears and nerves; I just use them to my advantage.
I speak for a living. A lot. In 2016, I was named the most-booked female
speaker in America—98 keynotes in one year. Amazing. Do I get nervous?
Absolutely. Every single time. But here’s the trick: I don’t call it “nerves.” I call it
“excitement” because physiologically anxiety and excitement are the exact
same thing. Let me say that again. Fear and excitement are the exact same thing in
your body. The only difference between excitement and anxiety is what your mind
calls it. Like the “near miss” example. If your brain has a good explanation for why
your body is freaking out, it won’t escalate things.