Taming the Anxiety Betters Performance

Rafael Nadal

Tennis great Rafael Nadal performs a series of rituals in and off the court during a match. Places two bottles in precise positions near his feet, tucks his hair behind his ear, pulls his nose and so on. These are his anxiety taming measures.   

Anxiety strikes out of nowhere. Even a little thing can trigger it. But what matters is how quickly you douse the stress.

Reasons

Uncertain moments, demanding situations, new circumstances, facing the public, consequential scenarios, and more.

Impact

Anxiety causes physical stimuli like rapid heartbeats and negative feelings which are health hazards. It upsets your performance too – be it a discussion, public address, interview-taking and the like.

Busters

  • Turn Anxiety into Excitement: Whenever anxiety strikes, reassure your mind that you are excited (Anxiety brings negativity and excitement creates confidence)
  • Pick a Ritual:  Rituals are many- religious, cultural or even self- made- that can bust anxiety and improve the demeanour. Leaders and celebrities adopt these. Wearing lucky dress, meditating, light exercises, adjusting the caps or sports uniforms, the list is inexhaustive.

Key Words:

#MOB, #RTD, #Anxiety

Source Article:

Taming Anxiety: Techniques That Work

Discussion Question:

How did you get rid of your latest anxious moment? Would any of the above two techniques have worked better? Why?