The Surprising Connection Between Anxiety and Confidence

You're reading The Surprising Connection Between Anxiety and Confidence, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you're enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles. In today’s modern era, with always-on technology and ever-increasing job demands, many people are fighting a silent battle. The battle of feeling overwhelmed. Our clients tell us they’re feeling anxious, stuck, and adrift. They struggle to process information and feel paralyzed when faced with important decisions. Once competent and productive, they say they have effectively lost control of their lives. But they can get them back. A Breakthrough Idea In discussions about what we’d observed among our patients and clients, what emerged early on surprised us. People who were confident more of the time—that is, they were feeling more in charge of their lives—reported less anxiety and overwhelm, even when they were placed under highly challenging, pressured situations. For us, this was a eureka moment. It wasn’t just that less anxious people felt more confident, but that confidence itself fended off anxiety and feelings of overwhelm. There’s a biological parallel to consider here. The sympathetic nervous system (which ignites aggression and fear when the brain perceives a threat) and the parasympathetic nervous system (which calms the mind and body) work in this same seesaw way. The breakthrough is this: Instead o...
Source: PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: featured psychology self improvement agency Anthony Rao anxiety and confidence Paul Napper The Power of Agency Source Type: blogs