How to Turn Anxiety into Excitement
Picture the scene in your mind’s eye…
It is the night before a big vacation. Your heart is pounding. Your thoughts are racing. You’re tossing and turning. You can’t sleep. You are excited.
Now picture another scenario. It is the night before a big job interview. Your heart is pounding. Your thoughts are racing. You’re tossing and turning. You can’t sleep. You are anxious.
Wait, what?
Your “symptoms” were exactly the same. Why did you feel excited about the trip but anxious about the interview?
The answer is simple…
Mindset
Your mindset is causing you to label similar physical sensations as “anxiousness” or “excitement”. Sometimes a simple mindset shift can help you turn anxiety into excitement.
Here are a few mindset-shifting exercises to try when you are feeling anxious:
Can I find a way to have fun with this? Ask yourself if there a way to find some fun in what you are feeling anxious about. Get creative, there is a chance there’s something about the situation that you can find humor in or turn into a game.
Is this something I have wanted? Ask yourself if what you’re feeling anxious about is something that you’ve wanted. If it is, then you have a good reason to feel excited instead of anxious.
Be Objective. Examine your feelings objectively. You may be mislabeling excitement as anxiety.
Make the Shift. Repeat “I am excited” out loud a few times. You may find it helps to shift your feelings from anxiousness to excitement.
If you are feeling high levels of anxiety, mindset shifts can help. But you may need more assistance. Don’t be afraid to get help for anxiety, if needed.
But if you are feeling a little anxious, a mindset shift may be just what the doctor ordered.
To help turn anxiety into excitement.
