Why do we feel Nervous? Nervousness can be described as a common feeling brought about by our body’s response to stress or leaving its comfort zone. It can also be described as our brain’s evolutionary reaction to being confronted with stressful or extremely difficult situations, increasing the body’s hormones that prepare it for sudden physical changes or threats.
Nervousness is often mixed up with anxiety disorder because they sometimes share similar symptoms, however, they differ in one major way. Nervousness is the body’s natural response to sudden changes, threats, or stress whilst Anxiety disorder is a psychiatric disorder that emanates from a number of complex factors including genetics, life events, and brain chemistry.
While nervousness is temporary and resolves after the event or stress causing it has passed or engaging in stress-relieving activities, anxiety disorders are uncontrollable without treatment and also quite long-lasting. Anxiety disorder is also classified as a form of mental illness and patients suffering from it normally experience heightened levels of worry and nervousness. Unlike nervousness, anxiety disorder happens more frequently without any obvious trigger, and patients suffering from it experience physical and mental symptoms like headache, insomnia, rapid heartbeat, and irritability to mention but a few.
In some cases, the stress associated with nervousness can be combated with a few easy activities as listed below:
- Countdown slowly to 10;
- Take deep breaths:
- Take time out from any rigorous activity.
Nervousness comes with physical symptoms like sweaty palms, nervous stomach feeling, and a potential increase in heartbeat rates all of which stops as soon as we stop feeling nervous. Nervousness, despite being normal subsides on its own, can also be managed. Farther we are going to talk about some tips on how to cope with it.
Don’t Be Afraid of Nervousness
Recognizing that nervousness is a sign of something good can help people cope with it. I’m sure you’re wondering how that is even supposed to work. Sometimes being nervous comes from the fact that we’re leaving our comfort zone and taking on new challenges. Seeing these challenges as a new opportunity to grow and learn new things is a good way of dealing with the nervousness that comes with them.
The nervous feeling experienced in a new job, situation, or relationship is another way of the body preparing us for what’s coming. This feeling helps us face our fears whilst also accepting a new, completely different experience. Eventually, this new situation or challenge becomes the new normal for us and our body adapts quickly.
Talk to Yourself
I’m sure we’ve seen people talk or psyche up themselves before a huge speech or a huge game. Most athletes are believed to psyche up themselves for crucial sporting moments by speaking out loud to themselves. This technique might make people perceive you as crazy but it has proven to help a lot of people.
The late Great Kobe Bryant was once said he had an empty shark tank in his house to help deal with nervousness and improve his self-confidence because he believed in order for him to conquer his opponents he needed to first conquer his own fears and worries.
Talking up to oneself, giving yourself all the best complements are known methods that help cope with nervousness. Accepting you’re not as good as Lionel Messi but instead of cowering under that fact, you can tell yourself you’re good enough to be on the same field as him. These are some of the ways great people have overcome their fears and worries over the years.
Confidence Is Good, but Courage Is Better
Everyone talks about how you need to be confident to face your fears or handle tough situations, no one ever mentions that building confidence takes time and effort. So it begs the question: what if you’re placed in a situation where you have little to no time to build up your confidence, how do you handle it?
That’s why some psychologists insist being courageous is better than being confident. Accept that you’re lacking in confidence at that point in time, however, tell yourself you’re still going ahead to do the task regardless. This approach has been recognized to help eight nervousness not necessarily in the immediate situation but over time. People who use this technique tend to find themselves doing better in that task in the long run.
| Year | Percentage Increase in Reported Anxiety cases |
| 2017 | 2% |
| 2018 | 5% |
| 2019 | 11.8% |
| 2020 | 19.1% |
| 2021 | 43.6% |
Breathe In
The infamous quote “take a deep breath” isn’t just useful when you’re about to take a deep dive into the sea or a pool, it’s also another technique to cope with nervousness.
Do you have a big presentation in front of new, prospective clients or are you explaining your report to senior colleagues? Taking a deep breath and carefully going through your words projects confidence whilst reducing worry and nerves even if you don’t know what you’re talking about.
I remember a huge football game I participated in back in high school. I spent the first ten minutes making the wrong decisions because I was so worried I didn’t belong and was eager to impress. I realized after taking a deep breath that I started to play and no we didn’t win the football game however, I felt much better about myself after.
Breathing in and taking things slowly leads to a scenario where your body is telling your nervous mind, “don’t worry, I’m fine”.
Talk to Someone
In my opinion, this is probably one of the easiest ways to overcome nervousness. We all need someone to talk to, someone who’s willing to listen to our deepest worries without judgment. Whether it’s your mom, a family member, a friend, or even your therapist, having a shoulder to lean on or cry on has been medically proven to help with nervousness, sadness, and even suicidal thoughts.
A problem shared might not necessarily mean a problem solved, however, doing that offers relief and a more positive feeling to a person going through nervousness.
Preparation and Practice
“Practice becomes perfect”? Scratch that, because practice is believed to become reflex. If you practice something so much, it definitely becomes a part of you. A friend of mine brags about how driving his car has become a norm. Like he doesn’t have to think about whether he’s driving or not, he just has to think about the definition and that’s because he has done it so much.
If you find yourself in a new field, it’s imperative you learn everything about that field or space. Learning more on the job, keeping yourself abreast of what’s going on in that particular industry will only serve to make you better. Preparation is another important way of dealing with nervousness. Preparing for a big speech ahead of time will only make you more relaxed and less nervous when the moment arrives. Allowing yourself extra time to get ready for social events, work, or even going on a date with a stranger will help you handle the situation better.
Knowing One’s strengths
“If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it’ll consider its existence a useless one” – Unknown.
Constantly putting yourself in situations where you can’t excel is another way of increasing one’s nervousness. In the same way, continuous wins breed lots of confidence, a series of failures also has an equal but opposite effect. As much as learning new things and leaving your comfort zone from time to time might be exciting, it’s important to know what you can and cannot do.
I’m not going to drop my pen and pick up the steering wheel of a Formula One car only to complain about nervousness all the time. I know it’s a big and impossible leap, and something I probably should not be doing. It’s important that I focus on what my strengths are and should I decide to try new things, they’ve to be within my physical and mental capabilities.
Even if you’re giving a surprise invite to talk about or do something within your strengths or not too far from it. You can always look back at your previous achievements and tell yourself that there’s a reason why they called you into the room.
Relaxation and Self Care
Learning to relax and take time off is a good way of coping with nervousness. People have different ways in which they relax, whether it’s exercising, yoga, spending time with a pet, or aromatherapy, you’ve to find what works best for you and do it whenever you feel nervous.
I for one like to play video games or listen to music when I am nervous and so far both methods have worked wonders for me.
Using music to relax depends mostly on taste and preference. While some people enjoy heavy metal music or rock songs. They might not necessarily be the best option to get the desired form of relaxation required to help with nervousness. And some people have wondered how video games help with dealing with nerves since playing these video games releases a form of dopamine that increases. However, it has been medically discovered that playing video games help people take their minds off impending tasks relating to work or fewer fun activities.
It is easy to ignore basic human needs like sleep and food when preparing for a big presentation or event, however lack of proper sleep and care are also believed to increase nervousness in humans. Eating a full meal before a major activity might be the last thing on your mind, as your focus and attention have been diverted to the upcoming event. However, taking a snack or a fruit (like a banana) will give your brain the required boost of energy it requires.
Take Some Rest
Sleep or taking enough rest is also another important form of reducing nervousness before a major event. A friend of mine had the habit of not reading for any examination the night before -which was awkward for some of us- but we found out that lifestyle made him feel super-fresh and focused whenever he got into the exam hall. So finding out what makes you more relaxed can be the next step in helping you achieve your goals.
Distract Your Attention
As usual, we feel nervous because of some special occasions, when we have some important meeting or exam or flight and so on. So it is connected with the special period of time. One of the solutions is to try to distract your attention by doing something else and not thinking about what you are worried about. For example, gambling is a great way of fighting nervousness, it may entertain you and grab your attention. Moreover, it is available for everyone with no need to pay. You can enjoy free slots NZ and have fun with their stunning graphics and sound effects.
Conclusion
The main thing that you should never forget is that nervousness and anxiety have a very bad ruining effect on your life and your health itself. Being nervous very often shortens your life and steals your time. So first of all, whatever happens, take care of yourself and let nothing make you feel bad.