It starts off slow.
A drip of sweat slowly rolling down from your temple to your cheek.
A punch to the gut.
Its inevitable in life.
And yet so many of us see it as something we cant control.
Or worse, something we should bury and ignore.
This post originally appeared on theCrew blog.
Keep Calm and Carry Onmight work for t-shirts and tote bags, but as advice for real life?
Its about as useful as sticking your head in the sand.
Whether that means talking to your boss, singing karaoke, or playing sports.
Pre-performance stress is a real thing.
And it kills our ability to act.
But what if there were ways to rewire our brain to use stress to our advantage?
To take those feelings of dread and anxiety and transform them into energy, excitement, and focus?
To make stress our own version of Popeyes spinach?
Sounds like a dream.
But thanks to new research into how our brains handle stress, it doesnt have to be.
Noradrenaline is one of these strange chemicalsthat is both amazing for us, and terrible.
Effectively, noradrenaline helps the different areas communicate smoothly while also making new neural connection.
And knowing that this is our usual reaction makes matters even worse.
The anticipation of anxiety makes us think of the usual counter-balance: calm down.
Both stress and excitement are characterized by high arousal levels and a low sense of control.
This fatalistic approach holds you back from being able to change the way you see a situation.
On the other hand, people with a growth mindset see potential failure as a chance to learn.
Theyre the ones who can turn stress into excitement and find that sweet spot where stress actually enhances performance.
Think about comedians or performers who worry if they dont feel that edge of anxiety before a performance.
With the right mindset, stress can be a performance enhancer.
And the more we have a thought, the stronger that mental connection becomes.
But psychologists have found a fix.
Its called cognitive reappraisal.
A cognitive reappraisal isnt about turning off your negative thoughts (which is pretty much impossible).
Its not about turning untrue negative thoughts into untrue positive ones.
The goal is to step back and ground your thoughts in reality.
You are using your observations and descriptions about yourself non-judgmentally, observing and describing facts.
Get those thoughts out of your head and on paper, and then get toss on your lab coat.
Challenge your assumptions as a scientist would challenge a hypothesis.
Is your work bad?
Will you get fired over it?
But dont stop there.
Look for evidence to the contrary.
What are your successes?
Did you get a promotion recently?
Write down all of the things that counter your self-doubt.
And if that doesnt work?
Take it to the extreme.
You think your work is bad?
Tell yourself its the worst.
The laughter will make you feel better and will help underscore the absurdity of your negative thoughts.
If you want to get in shape, it takes more than one monster session at the gym.
And your brain is no different.
But actually not that much.
Four months to a better, happier, more productive you.
And all it takes is a little perspective.
Creativity is the lifeblood of your business.
Top image bybizvector(Shutterstock).
