According to new research published in the Journal of Individual Differences, some anxious individuals can use that experience to motivate themselves. But the new study suggests that the way people experience and respond to anxiety influences their academic and job performance.
Here are seven creative ways to turn anxiety into productivity.
- Use the Adrenaline. Anxiety gives you adrenaline.
- Reframe Your Anxiety.
- Accept that Anxiety May Be Inevitable.
- Channel the Anxiety into Motivation.
- Distinguish Productive Worry from Unproductive Worry.
- Decatastrophize Your Anxiety.
- Practice Centering.
Allow me to share what I find helpful on a daily basis:
- Plan Ahead.
- Focus On One Thing At A Time.
- Be Flexible.
- Don't Sweat The Small Stuff.
- Count To 10.
- Control Your Breathing.
- Avoid A Doom And Gloom Attitude.
- Trust Yourself.
Tips to get and stay motivated
- Get out of bed and out of pajamas. The simple act of getting up is a good first victory of the day.
- Go for a walk.
- Get your hands dirty to get a mood lift.
- Don't overschedule.
- Avoid negativity.
- Stick to a routine.
- Socialize.
- Create a support network.
17 Motivational Quotes to Inspire You to Be Successful
- Your limitation—it's only your imagination.
- Push yourself, because no one else is going to do it for you.
- Sometimes later becomes never.
- Great things never come from comfort zones.
- Dream it.
- Success doesn't just find you.
- The harder you work for something, the greater you'll feel when you achieve it.
- Dream bigger.
Stress can serve an important purpose and can even help you survive. For our ancestors, stress was a helpful motivator for survival, allowing them to avoid real physical threats. That's because it makes your body think it's in danger, and triggers that “fight-or-flight” survival mode.
There are three stages of stress: the alarm, resistance and exhaustion stages. The alarm stage is also known as the fight or flight stage. When you're in the alarm stage, your heart beats faster, sending more blood to your arms and legs in case you need to fight or flee.
"Good stress," or what psychologists refer to as "eustress," is the type of stress we feel when we feel excited. Our pulse quickens and our hormones surge, but there is no threat or fear. There are many triggers for this good stress, and it keeps us feeling alive and excited about life.
That feeling is good stress! Eustress can help boost motivation, focus, and energy; create a feeling of excitement; and improve performance and decision making. It's generally short-term in nature.
Stress that continues without relief can lead to a condition called distress – a negative stress reaction. Distress can disturb the body's internal balance or equilibrium, leading to physical symptoms such as headaches, an upset stomach, elevated blood pressure, chest pain, sexual dysfunction, and problems sleeping.
The previously mentioned Dr. Lazarus (building on Dr. Selye's work) suggested that there is a difference between eustress, which is a term for positive stress, and distress, which refers to negative stress. In daily life, we often use the term "stress" to describe negative situations.
Acute stress is experienced as an immediate perceived threat, either physical, emotional or psychological.
Examples of life stresses are:
- The death of a loved one.
- Divorce.
- Loss of a job.
- Increase in financial obligations.
- Getting married.
- Moving to a new home.
- Chronic illness or injury.
- Emotional problems (depression, anxiety, anger, grief, guilt, low self-esteem)
Stress is the body's reaction to any change that requires an adjustment or response. The body reacts to these changes with physical, mental, and emotional responses. Stress is a normal part of life. You can experience stress from your environment, your body, and your thoughts.
"Good stress," or what psychologists refer to as "eustress," is the type of stress we feel when we feel excited. Our pulse quickens and our hormones surge, but there is no threat or fear. We feel this type of stress when we ride a roller coaster, compete for a promotion, or go on a first date.
Examples of positive personal
stressors include: Receiving a promotion or raise at work.
Being abused or neglected.
- Separation from a spouse or committed relationship partner.
- Conflict in interpersonal relationships.
- Bankruptcy/Money Problems.
- Unemployment.
- Sleep problems.
- Children's problems at school.
- Legal problems.
Is Stress Good for You? Disparaged as dangerous, healthy stress levels actually can push you to peak performance. Too much of it, though, strains your heart, robs you of mental clarity and even increases your risk of chronic disease. It's what comes next that divides healthy stress from harmful stress.
Tuning into its purpose and energy, here are 6 key ways to use anxiety to your advantage rather than simply trying to tolerate it. 1. Embrace, rather than resist it. Resisting anxiety adds anxiety to your anxiety, exponentially ratcheting it up to something that can quickly become unwieldy, and overwhelming.
Chronic stress linked to a bigger waistline in new study. People tend to report overeating and consuming “comfort foods” high in fat, sugar, and calories when they are feeling stressed. Hormones linked to stress also play an important role in metabolism and determining where fat is stored.
Create a ritual: Make sure you take stress breaks.
Get up from your desk and walk around, or get outside for some fresh air. Do some deep breathing, shoulder shrugs, or just close your eyes for one minute. Taking a mental or physical break is an important strategy for dealing with day-to-day stress.Cortisol is a stress hormone released by the adrenal glands. It's important for helping your body deal with stressful situations, as your brain triggers its release in response to many different kinds of stress. However, when cortisol levels are too high for too long, this hormone can hurt you more than it helps.
