How to turn your anxiety into excitement
In my last year of university I took a psychopathology class (studying mental illnesses/disorders) and it easily became one of my favourite classes. Among the valuable lessons learned, there was one about panic attack triggers that opened the door to a deeper understanding of anxiety and how it can be misunderstood. In this blog post, we will explore the effects of trauma on the brain, share strategies to regulate your nervous system, and discuss how to turn anxiety into excitement.
One of the lessons I remember, is about the two types of panic attack triggers.
The first, is about external factors – similar environments, smells, conversations, etc.
The second, is internal factors – anything inside your body that is similar to what happened during the traumatic event. (for example, an increased heart rate)
External factors are fairly easy to control. In the beginning of healing from a traumatic situation, you may avoid going to similar places that could trigger you again.
Internal factors, on the other hand…can be more complicated. A rise in heart rate is something more difficult to control as it can happen while working out, when watching a scary movie, or even when being excited about something.
The Effects of Trauma on Your Brain
Misunderstanding your feelings is common after experiencing a traumatic event. Our brains are hardwired to protect us, so after experiencing trauma, your brain is just saying “Well, you’ve gone through hell before, so it could happen again. In the future we will be prepared – anything similar to the event will be categorized as a threat or deemed safe”
This categorization however is flawed.
Organizing a stimulus requires the “prefrontal cortex” (your rational brain) – which is involved in many processes including critical thinking, memory formation, and good judgment. Unfortunately in times of stress, the oldest part of your brain called the “limbic system” (reptilian brain) is also activated. Since this part of your brain is predominantly used for survival, it has the ability to override any other processes.
It’s why we “see red” when slightly angry, have a panic attack when nervous, or immediately freeze in triggering situations. Rational thoughts are put on pause which prevents us from calming down, and our memory also becomes a little foggy.
Am I Nervous or Excited?
For me – one of the most challenging aspects of distinguishing between nervousness and excitement is when I’m really passionate about something. For example, It happens to me before recording a podcast episode with a guest, or showing my creative pieces to others.
If I misperceive the feeling as anxiety, being present becomes even more difficult, and letting yourself get in the flow of creative projects can actually become draining.
The good news is that we can train our brains to view these moments positively (rather than as a time to prepare for battle).
Hack Your Brain: Two Methods to Regulate Your Nervous System:
When reading the book The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, he spoke about how there are two main ways of regulating your stress response.
Both of these methods are equally important in different ways. The first, strengthens our critical thinking to label a situation as being “safe”, while the other prevents spiralling while under stress.
01. Top - Down Method.
Photo by Maria Kruko
This method involves mindfulness – requiring the rational brain.
Much like our muscles strengthen after exercise, practicing mindfulness can strengthen your ability to stay present and avoid jumping into survival mode. Taking a few seconds to acknowledge what's happening can calm your nervous system and label the situation as safe.
Activities to Try:
Focus on the idea of observing (not judging) your environment while meditating.
Yoga is also an amazing activity to drop into the present moment.
Or, any activities like playing an instrument, or cooking that can make time melt away.
02. Bottom - Up Method.
This method activates the reptilian brain through breath, movement, or touch. It serves as a backup when the top-down method fails and helps slow down the fight-or-flight response.
Deep breathing, body shaking or moving, and tapping techniques can calm your nervous system and reassure you that you are safe.
Scientifically, this type of breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system – the calming part of your nervous system, which deactivates the sympathetic nervous system (responsible for fight-or-flight responses).
Try the 4-4-6-2 breathing technique:
Inhale for 4 seconds
Hold for 4 seconds
Exhale for 6 seconds
Hold for 2 seconds
Turning Anxiety into Excitement
These two methods can be especially useful in transforming anxiety into excitement. Instead of immediately labeling your feelings as anxious, take a step back to observe the situation.
Your rational brain may convince you that you're simply having fun and that there's nothing to worry about. If this doesn't suffice, the second method can help you release excess energy, returning you to a more creative state.
THE DETOX
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THE DETOX 〰️
Anxiety → Excitment
Understanding the triggers of anxiety, the effects of trauma on your brain, and practicing mindful regulation techniques can empower you to transform anxiety into excitement. By retraining your brain to perceive situations positively, you can embrace life's challenges with enthusiasm and creativity.
Meet the writer.
Hi! I’m Bianca Venchiarutti. I started this blog fresh out of university (and in the midst of an identity crisis). To regain a sense of purpose in my life I dove into multiple personal development books and they humbled me in the profound amount of information I must still learn—and unlearn.
That’s where the “detox” came from! Unlearning is becoming even more valuable for us “twentysomethings” than just acquisitive learning. Although I don’t know everything, I will share with you the knowledge I gather along the way :)
