Dealing With Anxiety

Dealing with Anxiety is a common challenge for most leaders ...

Imagine you are about to attend a crucial business meeting. What you say or do in there will determine the future of your business. How would you be feeling a day before this meeting? Would it be fair to say you might be a bit tensed up? How about when going into that meeting? Just give that scenario a thought for a second. Will you stride in confidently knowing you will be and do your best in there, or will there be that little hesitation holding you back, creating that ever so little doubt in your mind - what if it doesn't click?

If you admit to yourself that you might be just a bit nervous as you head into that meeting, or even a day before that, you are not alone. Forget being alone, in fact, if you believe that such an experience might be nerve wracking, you are most likely in the majority.

Very few people are actually supremely confident of themselves, when having to attend a high-stakes meeting. Even many accomplished businessmen admit to having jitters when faced with a do-or-die business situation. And many of us are not high-profile businessmen. Nor does it always take a business-critical situation, for those goosebumps to kick in, either.

Have you ever attended a job interview? Many of us would have. Do you remember how you felt the day before the big day? Or when walking into the interview room?

Walking into a room occupied by a bunch of strangers, who you know are looking at you, sizing you up, and whose primary purpose there is to "interrogate" you, is no easy task! Not for a newbie, not for a seasoned interviewee!

But here is where a seasoned interviewee might have a slight edge. He or she expects the anxiety, and is usually better prepared to deal with it. Because they know ... dealing with anxiety will make you better prepared to deal with the situation at hand. So how do you go about dealing with anxiety? Not just in interviews or meetings, but in any potential anxiety-causing situation?

Dealing With Anxiety Tip One - Understand It's A Normal Reaction

First thing to know and remember is, almost anyone who may find themselves in the situation you currently are in, will have anxiety to some degree. Yes - the sweaty palms, racing heart beat, fear of forgetting something crucial, tensed up muscles, irrational thoughts, self consciousness, lack of appetite, inability to sleep the night before, or even a full blown anxiety attack - many people have at least a few of these symptoms, when they find themselves in your shoes, at this moment. And knowing that will take away the "abnormality" associated with your anxiety, and can help you feel a bit "normal." Remember, being anxious is normal for certain situations.

Dealing With Anxiety Tip Two - Be Prepared

Second thing that can help you in dealing with anxiety - be materially prepared, as relevant to the situation, by removing extraneous factors that can enhance your anxiety. For instance, visit the place before-hand where this interview or meeting is supposed to take place, research the prospect or company thoroughly, decide what you are going to wear and keep it ready, plan on being there ahead of time - in other words, do all that it takes ahead of time, for you to be comfortable on that big day, for that big moment. This is called preparation, and Benjamin Franklin's quote - by failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail - can never be more truer than it can be for such situations.

Dealing With Anxiety Tip Three - Use Visualization

Third, practice visualization. See yourself handling the situation in a calm, composed and confident manner, in your minds eye first. It will be difficult at first, but practice this technique until the meeting, presentation or interview gets comfortable in your mind first. You can practice this from several days before, if you have prior knowledge of the coming event. As you get more experienced in using this visualization technique, you will find that this becomes an invaluable tool that you can use in dealing with anxiety caused by any fearful situation life throws at you.

Dealing With Anxiety Tip Four - Breathe!

And lastly, breathe. If you find your heart racing just when you are about to enter the room, breathe. Take a deep breath in slowly, hold it in for a few seconds, and release it slowly. Breathing is one of the most under-rated yet effective techniques, that can help you in dealing with anxiety causing situations. Do this just for a couple of minutes, or however long you can manage, and you will find yourself at least a bit relaxed.