3 Fundamental Principles to Deal with High Levels of Stress and Fear
The human race has thrived in multiple environments. While the modern era is filled with convenience and machines to make our lives efficient, there was a time on our forefathers when they had to fight giant animals and beasts every day to survive. Fear was one of the most common emotions that enabled them to successfully pass through such a time. It is fear that enables you to be on a lookout for any danger or threat that may harm you or the ones that you love. However, in this time and age, we have machines which can work for us as far as being on a lookout is concerned. But psychology says that due to the experiences of our forefathers, we have evolved in a fashion that the emotion of fear has become innate for us that has the potential to manifest itself into the most unnecessary of times. For instance, how many times did you get to know someone who had stage fear? Chances are, in fact, that you are one of them yourself. Even if you are not, it is not unusual for a seemingly confident individual to be afraid of standing on the podium and addressing a huge audience. The people in front of you are not large animals and beasts with huge canines who are ready to attack and tear you apart. And yet, here you are, with shaking legs and a shiver in your voice while talking to people who are actually interested in what you have to say.
It is understandable that such negative experiences like high levels of stress or unnecessary fear can put a barricade in the path of your own success. While it is true that these have become a part of our nature, the good news is that it is well within your authority to manage them effectively. With in-depth research, we have created a list of top three strategies that can help a great deal when it comes to coping with high levels of stress and fear.
Life is Not A War
The first thing that you need to realize when you are experiencing such negative emotions of anxiety and fear for no apparent reason is that [restrict] it is not a war. More often than not, it is our first reflex to go to war with the emotion itself. You can consider your own example in this regard. When was the last time that you sat yourself down and talked about your negative emotions of stress and fear in an attempt to understand and control them, rather than being in self-denial and trying to refute their existence? Remember that no one in the history of the human race has ever succeeded to make stress, anxiety, or fear fade away by denying their existence.
As per psychology, what could actually be effective in coping with these emotions and stabilizing them is being gentle with them and being open to their existence. As mentioned earlier, there is nothing wrong with you if you are experiencing these emotions. Stress and fear are pretty much innate for mankind. And instead of fighting and pushing them away, it is recommended to take a deep breath, accept their existence and focus on understanding your emotions. A prominent component of understanding stress and fear is finding their root cause. The sooner you accept them, the sooner you can make an attempt to find their root cause, and the sooner you can direct your energy into devising a solution. For instance, if you have been surrounded by fear for the upcoming presentation, you have two options in front of you. You can sustain self-denial and fight to push them out of your mind, in which case it is highly likely that stress and fear will return with greater intensity; or you can sit down, make yourself peaceful and remind yourself that your fear is indeed irrational. You can remind yourself how well you did the last time you presented. You can assure yourself that everyone in that meeting room is highly interested in listening to you and for the most part, are rooting for your success since your success translates directly into the success of the company that you work for.
Simply put, accepting that you are experiencing high levels of stress and fear, and then pointing your attention towards rationale and logic is a simple yet effective trick that can work wonders for you under such circumstances.
Exercise Self-Discipline – Practice Both Physically And Mentally
One of the traditional and old-school tricks which are guaranteed to work for anyone who is experiencing high levels of stress and anxiety is exercising. Yes, we know, you are wondering what do we mean by exercising mentally, right? The answer is meditation and mindfulness. Just like you work out in the gym to make your body stronger and bigger, meditation is the mental exerciser that widens its horizons and optimizes its functions. Meditation and mindfulness are ancient practices that were introduced by the Buddhists who were in search of a spiritual awakening. It was then shown with research that meditation and mindfulness are effective in promoting mental health. Ever since then, people from all over the world have practiced meditation and have relished its numerous benefits ranging from management of negative emotions to strengthening mental capacities.
The entire concept of meditation revolves around shifting your focus from the negative emotions such as that of stress and fear and bringing it to an event that is happening in the current moment and is positive in nature for the mind and the body. What you choose to focus on is up to you, for the most part, making the basis of a wide range of types and variations of meditation. For instance, in square breathing, the point of focus is your own process of breathing where you are trying to get a sense of what it feels like to have your body filled with fresh, cold air and then eventually be deprived of it. Similarly, in mindful listening, the point of focus is a sound such as a soothing symphony. By giving such an event your undivided attention, you sensitize your brain to let go of everything else including the high levels of stress and fear.
Physical exercise, on the other hand, like running, jogging, lifting heavy weights, swimming, etc. are known to stimulate the production of special chemicals in your body which are known as the happy hormones. These include endorphins, dopamine, and most importantly, serotonin. Once these hormones are high in concentration, a signal of happiness and satisfaction is originated in the brain. It helps restore your mood and act as the police for the felons i-e stress and fear.
Ask for Help
There is no argument over the fact that the majority of us feel embarrassed to share our negative emotions with our social circle. We all have a natural proclivity towards hiding our negative experiences since they can increase the likelihood of judgments; or so do we think to say the least. Nobody wants to agree that he is experiencing high levels of stress, levels that are going out of his control as far as stress management is concerned. You would never want to tell someone voluntarily that you are afraid of something, something perhaps as minute as public speaking as it is your belief that they would not think of it as a big deal. Unfortunately, however, it does not align itself with the very nature of human beings. We are social animals. And we need to socialize, in all circumstances. The good or the bad, we need to talk about it with our folks in order to better manage our associated emotions. The same applied to the high levels of stress and fear. It has now been proven with research that talking to someone about it when you are stressed and afraid of something, especially with someone that you can emotionally connect with, improves your likelihood of overcoming the emotion in a timely fashion. So, the next time when you are afraid of going up there on the podium, take a moment and talk to your best friend about it. Let it all out. Speak. And you would be able to see the drastic change in your mental state that it brings about by yourself.
Conclusion
Emotions are natural for all of us; the good as well as the bad ones. Experiencing high levels of stress and fear is common to all of us. You can’t find a single person on the planet who has not had an experience of stress or fear. Some people are just better at managing these negative emotions. If you would like to join this group of people, the above-mentioned tips are going to prove highly effective for you. All you have to do is practice them with consistency. Don’t let stress and fear trick you into being mediocre. It’s time you aimed for the stars. [/restrict]
