I’m in the process of finalizing an article to answer a frequently-asked question (by both clients and students): “In business communications, how do I convert nervous anxiety into positive energy?”
As I brainstormed an exhaustive list of tips and advice for that piece, I noted that controlled breathing, self-talk, and being in-the moment are three (of many!) worthwhile techniques for channeling nervous energy into something constructive and purposeful.
Conscious breathing.
Breathing is magical, really. Just recently, I was diving at a depth of 60 feet (not terribly impressive, but I’m a big scaredy cat when it comes to diving!) I was in the Cozumel reefs, surrounded by gorgeous animal life and vegetation. And yet, panic enveloped me: ‘My ears are going to explode; I can’t seem to equalize’ and ‘Why do I feel as though water is in my mouth? Is it possible that I will drown today?’ and ‘There’s a lot of drifting here, and visibility is more difficult’ and ‘Gee, it seems harder to get air. What would happen if I decided to shoot back up to the top?’ I had no shortage of irrational thoughts!
It was breathing that got me through this drama. In yoga, we are asked to deepen and slow our breathing. Sometimes the instructor asks us to observe the length of our breath, other times he asks us to match the length of our inhale with our exhale. For me personally, my exhale lengthens far easier than my inhale.
So when I was having this underwater meltdown, I decided to get into my yoga breathing, and to especially lengthen my exhale since that soothes me. The sounds of my breath became methodical. The bubbles from my regulator diminished dramatically. I was so focused on the counting of breath that my ear pain began to subside and my thoughts of drowning dissipated. I was patient, and gave myself time to let the methodical counting work its magic. About 20 minutes into that dive, I was finally able to settle down.
Positive self-talk.
At that point, I moved from the negative chatter around the possibility of ‘drowning’ into more positive self-conversation: ‘It’s curious how those fish are paired up’; ‘Will that moray come out further?’; ‘What a blessing to visit this underwater home!’; ‘This place is one big bathtub of eye candy’. Being positive boosted my optimism and pleasure around the experience.
Be present and realize what is, is.
So at last, through the focused breathing and positive self-talk, I could finally be present. I could accept where I was, and feel like I was at my best. I deemed myself a ‘competent, confident diver’. For the final 30 minutes of the dive, I was finally at peace in my surroundings.
In sum, can controlled breathing, positive self-talk, and acceptance of the present make a difference towards calming your nerves and channeling the energy in business communications? They most certainly can, along with a host of other techniques. Stay tuned for the upcoming article on this topic.