¿Do you consider yourself a nervous person? Do you want to know how to control nerves?
Anxiety manifests itself in different ways, it can vary from a simple nervousness to a great panic. In fact, it is not a necessarily negative state. Some people may find it fun and exciting to do something new, even if they also feel a little nervous
However, there is a big difference between nervousness and pathological anxiety. Anxiety is an irrational state that the person experiences, but often he is not able to specify that he is worried or frightened. On the contrary, nervousness is linked to more concrete facts that we have to deal with in our daily lives, such as giving a speech in public, attending a job interview or preparing for an important exam. While anxiety has a more diffuse character, nervousness is a reaction to a situation that we perceive as frightening.
On the other hand, anxiety disorders usually have a very marked physiological component. When the anxiety is very intense it can cause symptoms so acute that some people even confuse them with a heart attack as they experience a feeling of tightness in the chest, nausea, palpitations and dizziness. On the contrary, nervousness does not usually cause such marked symptoms. Normally the nervous person only experiences butterflies in the stomach, sweats a little more, becomes red, or feels that the heart beats slightly faster.
In addition, nervousness usually ends once the event that caused it has ended. The nerves are dimmed when you finally start your speech, receive the call you were waiting for or finish the exam. On the contrary, anxiety is a more permanent state, which can even persist for years if the person does not seek specialized help. It does not disappear completely, it is as if it were floating.
¿How to control nervousness?
Here are some self-help strategies to control nerves:
1-Learn to breathe:
When we are nervous our breathing is agitated, it becomes choppy and it is harder for us to inhale. Our brain captures those signals and automatically increases the level of alertness. However, a slow and rhythmic breathing helps to relax the nerves that go from the diaphragm to the brain, sending the message that all is well. Therefore, an excellent strategy to control nerves is to breathe slowly. Inhale air while you count to five and feel how your lungs fill up. Then slowly exhale the air, counting to 5 very slowly. You can also practice more specific exercises, such as diaphragmatic breathing, which you can do every day to relax.
2-Connect with nature:
One of the most relaxing things you can do to control your nerves is to take a walk in nature, preferably surrounded by trees. Choose a quiet and quiet place, you can just sit and enjoy that calm, go hiking or biking. In fact, a study conducted at Stanford University found that people who walk in the middle of nature, in comparison with those who do it in the city, they not only have fewer ruminative thoughts but also have lower levels of cortisol in their blood, lower blood pressure and experience less anxiety. In fact, in Japan it is considered that the walk in the nature of conscious form is therapeutic and have specific routes for it.
3-Practice relaxation techniques:
Many people think that sitting in front of the television or the computer is equivalent to relaxing, but in truth it is not like that since, depending on what you see, you could even add more tension to what you have already accumulated during the day. Therefore, if you feel nervous, it is convenient to practice relaxation techniques. There are different options, from the progressive muscular relaxation of Jacobson to the autogenic training of Shultz, but the one that I prefer, for all the benefits you can get from it is self-hypnosis. If you want to learn self-hypnosis you have all the information here.
4-Do sport:
Sport is an excellent escape valve, through which you can relieve nervousness. Actually, it does not matter what sport is involved, as long as you enjoy it. You can run or do yoga, swim or practice tai-chi. In fact, the secret of the practice of physical exercise is that it helps to increase the levels of serotonin and dopamine, neurotransmitters that generate the sensation of relaxation and satisfaction. In this sense, a study conducted at the Southern Methodist University revealed that after just two weeks of training people with anxiety reported a significant improvement. Other research conducted at Princeton University discovered the secret: physical exercise not only promotes the formation of new brain cells but also makes us more resilient to stress.
5-He resorts to meditation:
There are different meditation techniques, such as mindfulness, you just have to find the one that best suits your characteristics. You can also resort to visualization, in which case it is about evoke relaxing images that calm you down and help you control your nervousness. When you practice visualization for a long time, the simple act of evoking that image will help you to relax automatically since your brain will have created a connection between the image and the pleasant sensation of tranquility. In fact, a study conducted at the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center revealed that people who used to practice meditation showed greater activation of the anterior cingulate cortex, an area of the brain involved in executive functions, thought control and emotional management. . This means that they were able to better control their emotions and concerns.
6-Question your thoughts:
When people feel nervous, their mind goes wild and they are assaulted by all kinds of ideas, most unrealistic. However, those worries have a great impact on your emotional state and often only serve to add fuel to the fire. Therefore, a good strategy to control nerves is to question the plausibility of these ideas. Ask yourself: is this concern realistic? What are the chances of it happening? What's the worst that could happen? How could I deal with it? It is important to remember that it is not a catastrophe but just an exaggeration of your mind, which is frightened and reacts as such.
When self-help is not enough
Although these self-help strategies are very effective in controlling nervousness, sometimes they are not enough, especially if you suffer from anxiety. In fact, you should remember that anxiety is a disorder that can become chronic if it is not treated in time with the appropriate psychological techniques.
Therefore, it is advisable that you go to the psychologist if:
-You feel that you are losing control over your emotional state and you are not able to analyze the situations of daily life with objectivity.
-You try to fight catastrophic thoughts, worries and obsessions but these come back continuously and cause you great discomfort.
-You start to have problems falling asleep and you can not rest enough because you do not know how to disconnect from situations that cause stress and anxiety.
-You think that you are not able to deal with most of the situations in your daily life, you feel to the limit and often you lose control, reacting in an exaggerated way.
-You experience physical symptoms such as recurrent headaches, a feeling of tightness in the chest, accelerated heart rhythm or gastrointestinal problems.
-It is hard for you to implement self-help strategies, either because you do not find time or do not know how to do it.
-You do not know how to control the nerves before a specific situation like speaking in public or when making an exam.