The 3 Steps to Overcome Performance Anxiety
Having anxiety feels like a huge burden, and for some people, it literally feels like your carrying a building on your shoulders. When that anxiety hurts our performance and doesn’t allow us to use our fullest potential, it becomes a fairly big problem. But what can we do to overcome it and be our full 100% selves? There are 3 steps you can take to overcome performance anxiety:
Get Out of “What if…” Thinking
Performance anxiety and anxiety in general are a result of having fear about something in the future. We dream up the worst possible things that could happen, predict how people will react, and gauge how badly those outcomes will affect us. These are all “What if…” scenarios, and the truth is, most of these scenarios are extremely unlikely. This “What if…” thinking is called speculation. Rather than thinking about speculation, think about PREPARATION and put your mind in the here-and-now. Be present, and let things unfold as they will. You control the outcome by your actions in the present, not by predicting the future.
Accept the Worst-Case Scenario
Of all the “What if…” scenarios we dream up, there is one that is by far the absolute worst. All my life, I’ve had really bad speech anxiety. My absolute worst fear was standing in front of a crowded room and not being able to speak, have everyone laugh at me, and feel completely dejected. I was absolutely terrified of this, and eventually it happened. My worst-case scenario became a reality, and I felt terrible. But something else came from it. I learned that, even when the worst-case scenario does happen, I was still O.K. The world kept spinning, the people that mattered to me were still by my side, and I still wanted to try again. I have never tanked a speech again, and even though I’m still anxious, I know that if that worst-case scenario happens, I’ll still be O.K. By accepting the worst-case scenario and knowing that you will still be fine if it happens, you take away its power over you and allow yourself to be 100% present.
Control the Controllables
Ask yourself, “what do I have control over in this situation?” Think about the things you can control and let go of the things you can’t. You can’t control what people will say, you can’t control how people will act, and you can’t control people’s decisions. What you CAN control is your actions, your thoughts, and your preparation. You control the outcome by how you respond to what happens.
By getting out of “What if…” thinking, accepting the worst-case scenario, and controlling the controllables, you can begin to overcome performance anxiety and start getting back your full 100% potential. Remember this: you control the outcome by your actions in the present, not by predicting the future.
