Do You Know About This Anxiety-reducing Trick?

Some situations aggravate our anxiety and really test our ability to control it. We talk about job interviews, presentations, exams or when we first have to try something new. We almost all need a little extra confidence in these types of situations, and sometimes we can not find it. We need an anxiety-reducing trick.

For some, these situations simply give them a sense of tension and they handle them relatively easily. For others, they cause imbalance and they have difficulty recovering.

Some experience these situations as being so stressful that they are almost traumatic. The truth is  that almost everyone has nerves on before important moments.

Some degree of fear is inevitable when faced with an important situation. But  there is an anxiety-reducing trick, or rather a method, that can help us in our fight against anxiety.

It was designed by experts from Harvard University and is widely used. Now we will tell you what it is.

A control test of anxiety

This method was devised by psychologists from Harvard Business School. They designed it based on studies conducted over these crises. According to them,  what we should do in such situations is to perform a ritual, a lot of actions with great symbolic value.

Experts have  proven that when a person creates and performs an anxiety-reducing ritual to help them deal with anxiety, it usually works really well.

To confirm their theory, they performed an interesting experiment. They needed a group of people who were very nervous. So they told the group that they were going to sing a difficult song in front of a large audience, after a few minutes. 

They observed that many of the participants had some sort of ritual that they performed. The majority of them said loud things like, “Take it easy” or “It’s not that bad”. And of course also the classic “You can handle this!”.

They did so with the intention of reducing the anxiety they felt. However, their actions were apparently not very effective.

The researchers selected some people from this group and tried a different strategy. They asked this group to draw a drawing that showed how they felt at this moment. Afterwards, they had to tear it to pieces and throw it out. Those who performed this simple exercise were better able to deal with their anxiety.

Controlling anxiety in the most difficult moments with anxiety-reducing techniques

Psychologists say that reminding yourself to take it easy is not at all the best way to stay calm. They indicate that it is as ineffective as telling a furious person that they just need to relax.

Sometimes we end up doing the opposite. We annoy him even more. The same thing happens with our own anxiety. You tell yourself to “take it easy”, but you just get more nervous. For besides that, you also have to deal with your frustration.

What anxiety before important events creates is really a fear of losing control. Not knowing what is going to happen, nor knowing how to control the variables that can lead to negative results.

This is why an automatic anxiety-reducing ritual, as recommended by the study,  helps us stop waiting for us to lose control in the situation that awaits. And if the ritual has a special meaning for you, it becomes even more effective.

Create an anxiety-reducing ritual

The bottom line is  that creating and performing a ritual before a stressful situation can actually reduce anxiety. However, this only works if the ritual is always performed in the same way.

Singers usually warm up the voice before a performance. Soccer players sometimes touch the grass on the pitch or run onto the pitch in a special way. Some TV hosts drink tea or sleep five minutes before going on.

Here are some examples of effective anxiety-reducing rituals. Perform a series of  breathing exercises while remembering the times when you were strong. Or look at pictures of people who inspire you. It may even be a picture of yourself at another point in your life.

If it’s your own image, it’s best if that image reminds you of a moment similar to what you’re going to experience. You have probably experienced similar challenges where you did not have complete control, but it still went anyway. It is also a good idea to write down your biggest fear on paper, chew on it and spit it out again.

None of this is magic. These types of rituals exist simply to build your conscious and unconscious strengths. No matter how you do it, you have to create your own symbolic ritual. Even if it seems a little crazy, it’s a really nice way to stop your anxiety, as well as the negative thoughts that nourish it.