# Anxiety can be converted to enjoyment
Giving a talk could be daunting, I would normally experience anxiety when I’m about to give a talk. One trick I learnt is to reframe the anxiety into excitement. This seems to have worked.
Physiologically speaking, anxiety and excitement are pretty similar. Our heart is racing, we get sweaty palms, etc.
# References
The Self-Driven Child (pp. 234 - 235)
Po Bronson reported that professional musicians and athletes experience anxiety prior to a performance, but they interpret it as energising, whereas amateurs interpret is as detrimental.6 For one group, anxiety leads to flow. For the other, it is a threat. Much as it is one’s sense of control more than control itself that increases motivation and calms anxiety, it’s the subjective perception (“Cool! An audience of fifteen hundred people!”) rather than the objective reality that impacts the brain and how it responds.
How to turn your anxiety into excitement | FastCompany (opens new window)
There’s a fine line between anxiety (opens new window) and excitement. Physiologically, the two are almost identical. You know the feeling: elevated heart rate, stomach butterflies, sweaty palms, and nervousness. They’re all symptoms that result from the arousal of the nervous system.
# Backlinks
- Any activities can be converted to enjoyment
- Role of parents in raising self-driven children
- Help reframe problem (is this a big problem or small problem). Anxiety can be converted to enjoyment.