Getting rid of the anxiety that fuels your emetophobia may be one of your ongoing goals in life, but you may not need to kick all that anxiety to the curb just yet. You can instead cope with those anxious feelings by making friends with it.
You read that right. Although embracing your anxiety and working with it may go totally against everything you’ve ever learned or tried, it may be just the thing to soothe you in certain situations.
That’s because anxiety and excitement are basically the same emotion. The big difference is anxiety makes you think something bad will come of all those strange feelings in your gut while excitement points to something wonderful.
Roller Coaster Thrills
Give yourself a quick example by thinking of the last time you were on a roller coaster or other wild amusement park ride. You may have found your heart rate increasing, your breathing accelerate and your palms get a bit sweaty – the very symptoms that mark anxiety. But you were probably more thrilled than terrorized to be on that ride, ready to enjoy the twists and turns to come. That same switching of thinking can work for anxiety.
The switching, however, can only work if the anxiety is a moderate level, perhaps enough to quicken your heart a bit but not morph into a full-blown panic attack. Catching it at that early level can lead to an enhancement of performance while letting it bloom into panic can hinder it. So keep an eye on your anxiety level and catch it quick.
Then take a cue from University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School professor Maurice Schweitzer who explains what to do when faced with an anxiety-inducing situation or project:
Schweitzer says rather than telling yourself “I’m worried about this project,” you can switch your thinking to “I’m excited about this project.”
The right level of anxiety can also be helpful in our lives, according to an InsideHigherEd.com article by Kaitlin Gallagher.
“The basic characteristics of your personality that cause you to be anxious or stressed may also be the reasons that you are good at what you do,” she tell us.
Giving it a Whirl
In addition to switching your overall thinking to view anxiety as excitement, you can switch your thinking in a number of specific situations that typically cause anxiety.
Let’s say you’re overwhelmed by way too much to do. Instead of floundering with the usual anxiety, switch your view to being excited about all the things in your life and focus on the positive aspects of being aware of all your tasks. That means you’re detail oriented and have an acute awareness of all that needs to be done.
Much better than being an anxious mess, yes?
Gallagher points out your anxiety about being a perfectionist, for example, can be viewed as a positive trait that means you care about your work. She notes if looming deadlines fill you with stress, it just means you have a respect for deadlines, which can make you very good at meeting them.
You can expand this way of thinking to all aspects of your life and many situations that cause anxiety. Try giving it a go with vomit phobia issues, such as your habit of constantly washing your hands. Instead of being a negative thing, it can be viewed as a positive mark of good hygiene. The possibilities for using this tool are endless, as are the positive outcomes that can arise.
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