How to get rid of nervousness (Guide)
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In this brief guide, we will talk about how to get rid of nervousness through some tips and useful techniques.
How to get rid of nervousness?
“How to get rid of nervousness?” is a question we all find ourselves asking frequently. But what if the answer was right in front of you but you couldn’t see it until now? Well, to start with, let’s review 5 easy ways to get rid of nervousness according to Forbes.com:
- Listen to your gremlin and then talk back.
- Breathe Your way through it.
- Know your strengths
- Start developing yourself.
- Recognize nervousness as positive aspect.
We all have felt the uncomfortable symptoms of being nervous or anxious when facing certain situations but, we have also thought about how we could cope with them more easily.
First of all, understand why you are getting nervous. The first thing to realize is that it’s completely normal to feel nervous and in some cases, it can actually boost our performance. It’s simply part of how we are wired.
Feeling nervous or anxious is your body’s natural reaction to potential threats or harmful situations. This can evoke the “fight or flight” response where your senses sharpen, your intuition kicks in, you become energized, and very active. All useful as you prepare to take action.
Let’s think about the following situation, imagine you have an event coming up, it’s highly likely that you will be feeling nervous and anxious as it draws closer. You may not able to completely get rid of this feeling, however, there are some steps can be taken to control your nerves.
Breathing is key, and by controlling your breathing and focusing on it, you will be able to distract yourself instead of what is making you worry and also helps to control your anxiety. After holding it for a few seconds, exhale slowly through your mouth. Repeat this until you feel your heart slows down and you become more relaxed.
If you are dreading something, it is important to practice and prepare. This will help you feel more in control as you will feel more familiar with the situation. Practicing also helps if you’re planning to confront someone about something awkward. Rather than trying to anticipate what will happen, focus on the things you can control and as for the rest, breathe through them.
Advantages and disadvantages of uncontrolled nerves
When you start feeling nervous, you can notice how all the physical symptoms start to manifest such as a faster heart rate and breathing, shaking and trembling, sweating, among others. This can lead to losing focus and concentration since your heart is sending all the blood to your extremities to make sure you are able to fight or flight from the situation.
Moreover, you can feel agitated, irritable and restless. This is considered the disadvantages of uncontrolled nerves. However, nerves are not bad and are not going to kill you but you can certainly feel how your heart can be about to burst or pop out your chest at any moment
But, what if your uncontrolled response and nervousness can actually help you learn and gain some valuable experience? It is really a matter of perception. They simply mean you are stepping out of your comfort zone and it can actually bring long term benefits if you shift the perspective.
What can I do to get rid of being nervous?
Getting rid of feeling nervous can be tricky but not impossible. You can follow some steps that can help you calm your nerves and feel more relaxed. Here we will discuss some of the most useful tips and techniques.
Listen to the gremlin and then talk back
When the gremlin decides to step in and tell you what to do then write it down, exactly the way it is presented to you. When you are calmer and you are thinking clearly, consider what you rationally believe to be true and come up with challenging statements opposite of what you have written down.
A good example could be, “You’re not technically good enough on this topic.” Your response could be, “I’m not trying to be a technical expert, my place is as a strong generalist focusing on the business application.” (forbes.com)
Follow the 3-3-3 rule
When you are nervous, you can use the following rule according to WebMD, “ Look around you and name three things you see. Then, name three sounds you hear. Finally, move three parts of your body — your ankle, fingers, or arm. Whenever you feel your brain going 100 miles per hour, this mental trick can help center your mind, bringing you back to the present moment, Chansky says”.
Stay away from comforting food and sugar
When we are in distress or we are feeling nervous we tend to turn to something sweet to help us de-stress but actually, that donut or chocolate bar can do more harm than good as researchers have found that sugar can worsen your symptoms.
Instead, experts recommend grabbing some pumpkin seeds, walnuts or blueberries.
Breathe your way through it
If you are facing a stressful situation that makes you very nervous try breathing in 3 to 4 counts and then exhale for 5 to 6 counts. Adopting conscious breathing can have a positive physiological impact, in addition to distracting our brain from the forward-thinking narrative where we spend most of our cognitive resources.
Recognize you have many strengths and abilities
Most of us tend to focus on the weaknesses and how we might not be “good enough” at something or when being with someone. Try writing down some of your strengths or skills and also what your achievements have been.
This will empower you and boost your self-confidence once you have identified you have many strengths and skills to tackle anything you put your heart and mind into.
Start developing yourself
If you decided to listen to your gremlin and you consider something of what he/she said is true then start by learning, training or developing new skills to fight back. This wat, you can increase your self-confidence and motivation and next time it shows up to diminish your efforts and make you feel bad you can say “I am in the process of becoming a better version of me”.
Recognize nervousness as a positive aspect
For many people, nervousness is experienced with a lot of discomfort and negativity. Change your mindset and think about how being nervous can help you step out of your comfort zone, challenge you and present you with new learning opportunities.
Occasionally, that feeling reminds us we are pushing our boundaries and we are learning something different each time.
Try laughing
Laughing as you remember something funny that happened earlier that day or a funny video clip you watched a few days ago can help you laugh and shift the focus of what you are experiencing.
This can actually help you feel more calm and relaxed, deactivating the physical symptoms your body is experiencing.
Ask for another perspective or opinion
Contact a friend or a family member you trust and explain how you are feeling and the reason why. Analyze your worries with them and ask for their opinion, this can give you a fresh and unbiased perspective about the situation and you can actually benefit from it by deciding what to do next.
Use some lavender oil
Lavender oil is known for having healing properties. It promotes a soothing effect, a feeling of calmness and supports deep restful sleep if you are having problems going to sleep due to feeling nervous. It is also known for helping relieve headaches.
You can carry a bottle with you so if you are feeling nervous, you can take the bottle output some in a handkerchief of a piece of clothing and take deep breaths.
Why is this blog about “how to get rid of nervousness” important?
As we discussed, feeling nervous is not necessarily a bad thing. This is how we were wired and has a biological and evolutionary perspective. However, when we let our anxiety control us then we can have problems in our day to day functioning and then is when the nervousness can make you feel frustrated, powerless and vulnerable, and those are sensations that can make you very uncomfortable.
Using the tips and techniques we have mentioned can help you in various settings and situations and if you practice, you can actually see some benefits. It will change your perspective and how you deal with certain situations. However, when you feel you are too overwhelmed by your nerves and what you are feeling, then it is time to consider getting professional help to cope with it.
Feel free to comment in the comments section below!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about “how to get rid of nervousness”
How do I calm my nerves?
Here are some useful tips that can help you calm your nerves:
Take deep breaths and exhale the air slowly
Acknowledge you are feeling anxious or angry.
Challenge your thoughts.
Try to release your anxiety or anger.
Visualize yourself calm.
Use logic to think your thoughts through.
Listen to some calm and relaxing music.
Shift your focus.
What is the cause of nervousness?
There can be many causes associated with you feeling nervous. Some common external factor that can cause anxiety according to WebMD are:
Stressful situations at work
Stressful situations from school
Stress in a personal relationship such as marriage
Financial stress
Stress from an emotional trauma such as the death of a loved one
Stress from a serious medical illness
The side effect of medication
Use of an illicit drug, such as cocaine
A symptom of medical illness (such as heart attack, heat stroke, hypoglycemia)
Lack of oxygen in circumstances as diverse as high altitude sickness, emphysema, or pulmonary embolism (a blood clot in the vessels of the lung)
How Do I Stop overthinking?
You can follow some tips to stop overthinking, according to medium.com we can:
Raise your awareness throughout the day. Always realize that thinking too much defeats the purpose.
When you raise awareness, immediately start observing your thoughts. …
Only limit your thinking to specific moments that you need it. …
Enjoy your life!
What to drink to calm nerves?
There are a few drinks you can use to help you calm your nerves:
Green tea
Valerian root
Cherry juice. Start drinking these juices to fight anxiety.
Warm milk
Chamomile
Water
How can I relax my stressed mind?
You can relax your mind by taking slow and deep breaths, try taking a warm bath, listening to some relaxing music, practicing mindful meditation, writing your thoughts and feelings or use visualization of a nice place such as a beach or a garden with as much detail as possible
Recommended reading
- SELF-HELP FOR YOUR NERVES: Learn to Relax and Enjoy Life Again by Overcoming Stress and Fear
- Pass Through Panic: Freeing Yourself from Anxiety and Fear
- Essential Help for Your Nerves: Recover from Nervous Fatigue and Overcome Stress and Fear
- Activate Your Vagus Nerve: Unleash Your Body’s Natural Ability to Heal
- Accessing the Healing Power of the Vagus Nerve: Self-Help Exercises for Anxiety, Depression, Trauma, and Autism
References
Take Control of Your Anxiety Today: Personalized Counseling with BetterHelp
