Reader,
Your stress or speaking anxiety falls into three buckets...
The GOOD
The BAD
And the UGLY.
Now you might be thinking...
How the heck can stress be good for someone?
Before you conclude that it might be a typo or Waqas might be drunk or worse and hit that unsubscribe button...
Hear me out for a sec.
Stress can be GOOD for you... Even when it doesn't feel helpful as in speaking anxiety.
I'm not just making this stuff up, it's backed by solid science.
This is the type of stress or anxiety that gives you the energy to rise to the challenge and perform at your best level possible.
It triggers the Challenge Response in you.
In a Challenge Response...
Your sympathetic nervous system makes your body mobilize more energy.
Your breathing deepens and your heart rate speeds up to help you rise to the challenge ahead of you.
Sugar and fats are dumped into your bloodstream and converted into fuel...
Which is supplied to muscles and brain which then function at peak performance levels.
In short, your body prepares you for something that is both meaningful and important to you.
Since there's a lot at stake, your mind and body help you unlock your superpowers such as ...
- Ability to think fast
- Ability to focus without getting distracted
- Heightened sense of hearing and vision and
- Unreal muscular strength.
Ever heard of this true story in which two teenage girls from Oregon, U.S. were able to lift 3000 lbs. tractor off their dad who was trapped under it?
It was due to this Challenge Response of stress that gave them superpowers to do the impossible and saved their father.
It wouldn't be wrong to say stress makes you a super-human...
You just need to realize it and know how to take advantage of it rather than going into full-on panic mode.
The BAD...
Chances are... You're already convinced that anxiety and stress are bad.
So... I don't need to sell you on that one ha ha.
But here's the catch: It is ONLY bad if you think it's bad.
Yeah, you heard it right.
Your mindset and beliefs about stress or anxiety are vital in shaping your experience with it.
Your mindset decides whether the stress response you are gonna get will be a Challenge or a Threat Response.
If you are told that your stress and speaking nerves are bad and you MUST avoid them at all costs...
Guess what will happen the next time you are about to start your presentation or impromptu talk?
You will go into a full-on PANIC MODE because you felt butterflies in your stomach and your heart started beating faster.
This will eventually result in Threat Response and panicking because you saw your speaking nerves as a sign of threat.
Want to dig further?
Here's a detailed resource on the science behind your stress response.
Now...
The UGLY.
I'm calling it ugly because it's the worst kind of anxiety and it doesn't go away on its own.
If you have it... YOU NEED HELP.
It comes from your core self-limiting beliefs about self-esteem, self-worth, good-enoughness, your competencies
...you get the idea.
self-limiting belief is a perception about yourself that somehow restricts you in some way from leveraging your full potential.
Beliefs such as:
- I'm not smart enough
- I'm not good enough
- I'm a failure and a loser
- I'm such a disappointment
- I'm not competent
- I'm a fraud and fake (a.k.a Imposter Syndrome)
- There's something wrong with me
- etc. etc.
These beliefs are the root causes behind your:
- Negative thinking
- Feelings of anxiety and overwhelm
- Hopelessness
- Frustration
- Feeling like an imposter
- Lack of self-confidence (not only as a speaker but also as a person)
- Avoidance behavior (and procrastination)
- Self-sabotaging behavior
- And more...
Reader...
I hope now you know something about the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Want to get rid of The Bad and The Ugly from your life?
Let's chat!
Best,
Waqas - Head Speaking Anxiety Coach
Website