Anxiety is an emotional state almost everyone seems to know about, but few can master. Unfortunately, the problem is more common than you think, as more than 40 million Americans age 18 and older suffer from some kind of anxiety problem, as per data from the National Institute of Mental Health.
But anxiety is a normal response that plays a crucial role in our fight or flight instincts. The key is finding different ways to manage your anxiety, and even use it to improve your performance and productivity. If you’re scheduled for a big job interview at a company or employment agency, below are a few ways you can master your anxiety.
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Acknowledge It
Embrace your anxiety. Whenever you feel anxious because you’re scared or worried, you’re only exacerbating the problem. No good comes from freaking out over your emotions. Instead, understand why you’re feeling that way, which is the first step to dealing with anxiety.
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Find an Outlet for Your Anxiety
Oftentimes the simple act of writing your feelings on a piece of paper can be a cathartic experience that makes your anxiety go away completely. At the very least, this feeling of emotional release can immediately lighten your fears and worries.
Better yet, why not keep an “anxiety journal”? This will help you look back on those times you had bad moments, allowing you to manage your feelings better.
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Use the Adrenaline to Your Advantage
Anxiety causes your body to produce adrenaline, which in turn, causes your heart to beat faster than normal and constrict your blood vessels.
The solution? Use the adrenaline rush to do something productive. Work on a personal project, prepare your elevator pitch for next day’s interview, clean your room — do anything to take advantage of your pent-up energy.
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Know the Difference Between the Two Types of Anxiety
Anxiety comes in two types: productive and unproductive. Unproductive anxiety causes you to worry about things you have no control over. Nothing good comes from this kind of worrying.
In contrast, productive anxiety means worrying about things you can do something about, so go ahead, do something about it. If you have a presentation fast approaching, prepare for it, polish your slides, memorize your talking points — in other words, use your anxiety to be productive.
For more personal and career growth tips, be sure to follow this blog. If you’re looking for job opportunities but need help knowing where to look, let the staffing services specialists of Top Notch Personnel point you in the right direction. Contact our offices to learn more about how our staffing solutions can help you.
