In challenging situations, anxiety can cause discomfort and problems. A vicious circle is at work; you are worried that you will not remember what you have learned or perform poorly in front of the audience. And it is because of this that you completely forget the material – you worry, even more, you start to stutter, your palms sweat. So, I figured out that I could write my paper in advance, so I knew what I would say.

It has been proven that stress impairs the ability to remember and extract information from the depths of memory. On the other hand, excitement can “realize” what you are afraid of and what causes fear.

This article will tell you how to bring yourself to your senses and restore the rationality of thinking in stressful situations.

Quick Ways to Calm Down

If you have to pass an exam, make a speech in front of the audience. If you are stressed, you will create many problems for yourself. Read what needs to be done.

Think about what will happen in the worst-case scenario

Surprisingly, nothing catastrophic will happen. If you do not pass the exam— in the worst case, you will be expelled from the university; you will either have to go to your parents or look for a job. Parents will scold you, but it’s not fatal! Your retake will not kill anyone; its consequences are quite possible to survive. If you fail to defend your diploma, you will get a low score, but you will still get to graduation.

The reason for fear is the unknown. However, as soon as you sort out exactly what you are afraid of, the fear will recede by itself.

Hold something warm in your hands.

The easiest way is to brew tea and warm your palms with it. If this is not possible, go to the bathroom and hold your hands under a stream of warm water. Anxiety makes your limbs cold, and warmth will help “confuse” your fear. It’s as if it will say: “I don’t understand, am I broken? Why aren’t my methods working? I must have messed up something, and now is not the time to act.” In addition to everything, warmth evokes associations with comfort and tranquility: situations where there is no place for stress.

Arrange an oxygen starvation

With an intense panic, fresh air will not help: it activates processes throughout the body, “accelerates” your excitement even more. Try to get some air and hold your breath for as long as possible. Repeat the procedure several times until you feel a slight dizziness. Then start breathing fully. You will notice that the alarm is gone.

P.S. perhaps you have seen in American films how heroes breathe into a bag in a stressful situation? They do the same thing. A short-term lack of oxygen can reduce anxiety.

Let yourself get anxious!

But only for a specific time. Assign, for example, 5-10 minutes, and worry enough. Immerse yourself in these emotions, feel them fully. As soon as the timer rings, tell your excitement: “That’s it, your time is up.” This technique also works in the case of sadness, bitterness, depression. It is not always helpful to escape from your emotions; sometimes, you need to allow them to come out, only for a limited time.

Perceive anxiety as a character, talk to him

Find out what he wants to achieve, his fears, desires. For example, why did your “friend” want to go outside right now? Then, try to negotiate with him: you will let him be active for a while, but he will calmly leave. This technique is also applicable to bodily sensations: you can communicate with the pain of varying degrees and in different body parts.

Interacting with emotions and sensations is much easier if they are materialized. However, as long as you perceive them as something beyond your control, it isn’t easy to cope with them.

Devalue the significance of the event

All the incidents in the world have no color and no degree of significance. These are just facts; they are given importance by individuals and society as a whole. Do you have an exam? It’s just an event. 

Nothing global happens; you answer the teacher’s questions. There is only an assessment of how much knowledge you have. This is neither good nor bad. Are you facing expulsion? This is also just a fact, a consequence of a particular approach to learning on your part.

If you try to reason, monitor the logic of any outcome of the situation, your emotional component will calm down. However, as mentioned earlier, it is the unknown that provokes fear.

Drink valerian

This is the last thing to calm down for sure. The fact is that with solid emotions, mint or chamomile tea is useless. They have a mild calming effect, invisible in a stressful situation.

Before taking the drug, be sure to read the instructions and contraindications. This sedative should be prescribed to you by a doctor.

How to strengthen the nervous system

Reactions to stressful situations need to be handled not situationally but long term. This is especially true for susceptible people whose nerves seem “more sensitive.” Therefore, everything is taken to heart; strong emotions accompany any exit from the comfort zone.

We advise what changes to make in life to become more emotionally stable.

Sports and sports again. Yes, it is considered a panacea for all diseases, and sometimes its benefits seem exaggerated. If you think so, then in vain: physical exercise is necessary for anxiety disorders. 

To face experiences less often, you need to train yourself competently with the help of helpful stress. This is sport: the body experiences mild stress, after which it rewards you for testing with the use of “happiness” hormones. You train both body and spirit!

Take care of yourself. 

“What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger” is some false judgment that certainly doesn’t apply to susceptible people. Do not unnecessarily expose yourself to experiences:

• Listen to sad music around the clock.
• Watch thrillers and dramas.
• Engage in meaningless arguments with others.

It’s better to take care of your peace of mind, do everything to be at peace as often as possible.

Immerse yourself in the “here and now.” 

Walking in the park, look at the beautiful translucent leaves of trees. Holding a cup of hot tea in your hands, peer into its luminous amber, inhale a pleasant aroma, and drink, trying to catch every note of the multifaceted taste. Lying under a warm, airy blanket, immerse yourself in your feelings: how cozy, calm, pleasant you are.

Anxiety is being “somewhere out there”: either in the past or in the future, but not in reality. So bring yourself back to reality.

Periodically talk about the fact that anxiety is valid only in real danger. It was invented by nature to activate the “run or fight” motive in a dangerous situation. That is why, with solid excitement, the brain turns off: if a bandit attacks, you need to run. Adrenaline gives the muscles more strength so that they can run longer. By the way, have you noticed that when you are worried, you can’t sit still? It’s all adrenaline. 

Work on the way of thinking.

To change your attitude to different life situations, it will be helpful to consult a psychologist. He will help you figure out why you often worry and find this problem’s roots. 

Working on anxiety is not just helpful but necessary. Frequent stress is hazardous not only in psychological but also in physiological aspects: it can damage the work of the whole organism and its vital systems. Sometimes it’s easier to get rid of the source of stress: delegate tasks, ask for help from others.