Anxiety: Performance Enhancer?
“You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.”- Eleanor Roosevelt.
When you hear the word “anxiety,” you probably think of panic, fear, chaos, and loss of control. But is it possible to shift your thinking and begin viewing anxiety as, focus, flow, and strength? Rather than having anxiety slowly beat us down and tear us apart, can we harness the power that anxiety has over us and use it to excel?
In my post, The Dubiety of Anxiety, I broke down the physiological and neurochemical actions of anxiety on the body and brain. Just as a refresher, or for those of you who haven’t read the aforementioned post, click the link and check it out before you continue with this post. For those of you who have more important shit to do, here’s a summary:
The biology of anxiety begins in a part of your brain called the Thalamus. The Thalamus relays sensory and motor signals to your Cerebral Cortex, which interprets sensory cues into understandable terms (ie. Threat or non-threat.) Remember, this is dysfunctional in anxiety sufferers, therefore the ability of the Cerebral Cortex to accurately judge what is and isn’t a threat has been compromised. When the Cerebral Cortex determines a threat, it activates the Amygdalae, which play a part in emotions and survival instinct. The Amygdalae then trigger a fear and survival response while sending a signal to the Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis (BNST). The BNST is a central player in anxiety neurocircuitry that perpetuates the fear response and keeps you in a heightened state of awareness.
As your fear response develops, it moves from brain-centered to body-active. Along with the BNST, your Amygdalae have sent a signal to the Locus Coeruleus in your brainstem. The Locus Coeruleus is responsible for synthesizing Norepinephrine, a hormone and neurotransmitter, which triggers the release of glucose, increases blood flow to muscles, focuses attention, promotes vigilance and increases restlessness and alertness. Basically, Norepinephrine prepares you for the commonly known “fight-or-flight” response. So, is fear as bad as we make it out to be?
Fear has been the driving force of innovation for thousands of years. Fear of what lurks in the darkness may have helped in the harnessing of fire. Fear of sickness facilitated the creation of medicine and vaccines. Fear of death gets us exercising and eating healthy. Fear is necessary for survival. It keeps us away from dangerous animals, it holds us back from treacherous cliffs, and it strengthens us by challenging us with steel-on-steel resistance. Is there a way to use fear and a heightened sense of awareness and readiness to our advantage?
If you look at the role Norepinephrine plays in the human body from an objective point of view, you can see that the effects of this hormone/neurotransmitter are beneficial if properly regulated. The obvious problem for anxiety sufferers is that it’s not properly regulated. But that doesn’t mean that it can’t be. Talking from the wide spectrum of anxiety that I’ve suffered over the past few years, it would be foolish of me to say that I could’ve used a giant dose of Norepinephrine to help me overcome my fears when my anxiety was at its worst. Having a panic attack feels terribly unpredictable and frightening. Your brain lacks the ability to clearly formulate rational thoughts to help subside your exaggerated fear response. In these times, it may be best for you to try to relax and weather the storm as best as possible. However, throughout my journey, and knowing how important it is for me to face my fears and build my confidence, I’ve been able to weaken the harsh effects that anxiety once had on me. This makes me feel more secure in testing my limits. Don’t worry, there is some science behind this.
In 1908, psychologists Robert Yerkes and John Dodson, discovered a relationship between performance and arousal and aptly named it the Yerkes-Dodson Law. This law states that there’s a point in everyone’s arousal levels that results in their highest performance. Too little arousal, and we have no interest in performing a task. Too much arousal, and we lose concentration and experience stress and anxiety. So, the big questions are, where are our optimal arousal points? And, can we utilize anti-anxiety techniques to manipulate them into our favor? Think if it as building a trail as you hike it. Each time you challenge yourself and build your confidence, the further along your trail you will get.
In his book, “Can’t Hurt Me,” David Goggins speaks about his time training to become a Navy SEAL. The extreme mental and physical pain needed to endure this training is unfathomable. Goggins was forced to withstand hours treading water in the cold Pacific Ocean. 5 days of sleep-deprived hell, pneumonia, and shin fractures from the physical stress brought on by miles upon miles of running. He attributes his success to what he refers to as his “calloused mind.” His own ability to overcome the adversity that he was brutally subjected to throughout his life. Goggins believes that in order to become the best version of yourself, you have to find comfort in discomfort, embrace personal suffering, and challenge your fears everyday. We all have a breaking point, a time at which our brains cry out for relief and an end to our pain. What Goggins has achieved is the power to quiet that surrendering voice. This enables him push a little bit further. He’s trained his mind to utilize the fear, adrenaline, and the cortisol to overcome the limits that his brain initially imposes upon himself. As he states in his book, Goggins is able to use these fear response hormones for fight, instead of flight.
Near the end of February, I had a job interview that included a fairly vigorous fitness test known as the 20m “Beep Test.” A 20m shuttle run, scored in levels, and dictated by recorded “beeps.” As you reach higher levels, you have to complete more 20m laps between levels, and in less time, as the “beeps” come at shorter intervals. The test is used to rate a person’s cardio and maximum oxygen intake. This fitness nightmare has been at the forefront of my mind for months. I’ve pre-tested on my own a handful of times and have been face to face with personal failures nearly every time. As for the interview, let’s just say it’s not my strong point. I have very little experience with formal interviews. I struggle with talking about myself in a confident and accomplished manor. I’d rather prove myself in the field than in an interview room. To add to all of this anxiety, worry, and inexperience, I failed this same interview process 8 years ago. Granted, I was severely unprepared, unqualified, immature and even more inexperienced back then. Nevertheless, I’ve continued to push my limits and cut away at my anxiety throughout this whole preparation process.
As the final days counted down before my appointment, I had a mixture of confidence and anxiety. Hours before the interview, I stood in the shower and analyzed my worry. I slowly picked apart my worst-case scenarios and disappointing outcomes until I found weaknesses and permeations in my anxiety’s foundation. And, taking what I know about the biology of anxiety, I was able to telegraph my anxious symptoms and react accordingly. As I sat in the interview room, I was an unrecognizable version of what my brain historically presupposes me to be. My focus and memory recollection were on point, my confidence ran high, and my answers were thorough. As for the fitness test, My extra doses of Cortisol and Norepinephrine were gift-wrapped and handed to me as tools to help me succeed. Instead of earmarking it for fear and worry, I utilized that added alertness, focus, blood flow, and attention to rise above my former self, run further, faster and more confidently than I ever have in a test setting. I was intently focused on my breathing, heart rate and running pace and the final result was I scored considerably better than any of my practice attempts. Despite the typical worry of the unknown future, I accomplished what I set out to do. I followed through regardless of perceived fears and I improved myself, no matter the final result of my goal.
As my day came to completion, I had one important question to ask myself. Do I need to ace this interview process to feel accomplished? The answer is, “No.” I’ve already proven my ability, confidence and strength to myself while training for this opportunity. I have no control over the inner workings of the department in which I am applying. All I can do is my best. If that doesn’t work, all of the patience, time and effort that I’ve put into getting this far still leave me better than who I used to be. It’s win/win. That’s how you accumulate victories at every turn instead of just at the finish line.
I understand that a large portion of this post was about a personal goal and may be unrelatable to you. We all live different lives and are at different stages in our anxiety. The point of telling you about my interview, is to show you that anxiety has holes. In order to find those holes, you have to act like a Border Agent and search every crevasse of your inner thoughts. Tear apart the seat covers, pull off the bumpers and loosen every nut and bolt. Anxiety doesn’t have to be the all-consuming monster that we sometimes allow it to be. If you have the courage to laugh in the face of a bully, you’ll expose its weaknesses. Chances are, you’ll still get punched every now and then, but those punches will hurt much less. And, a little bit of pain only makes you stronger. Build your confidence through building your strength, both mentally and physically. Learn to act in spite of your anxiety. Then, confront your bully and tell it to kick rocks.
Disclaimer:
I have no formal medical training in brain function or on the long-term effects of Norepinephrine and Cortisol on the brain and body. This is purely anecdotal and what I’ve learned through my own research. Do not take my word for it. Do your own research, talk to a doctor. I choose to test out my ideas only because I feel confident that I can make them work. Prolonged and sustained levels of these hormones can have adverse effects on the human body. Again, this post may be better suited for people who have a relatively good handle on their anxiety and are confident enough to utilize the body’s naturally secreted hormones as a benefit rather than a detriment. For those with chronic panic attacks and severe anxiety, you may not be there quite yet. You’re a little deeper in the corn maze right now, but I was there at one time too. You can find your way out.
**If you’ve found some benefit in this post, or any of my posts, please hit the “Like” button. If you know somebody who might benefit from these posts, hit the “Share” button to help spread the word about mental health. Or, subscribe to get all upcoming posts.
For added content, follow 5 Years in Purgatory on social media.
Originally published at https://bfm3131.wixsite.com on February 18, 2020.
