THE MINDFUL MINDSET
Anxiety is not a barrier; it’s a resource.
If we see our anxiety as healthy response, rather than a harmful reaction we can change its nature from reaction to response, from threat to challenge?
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3 Minute Speech
Math Test
Two of the things that people fear most: public speaking and math. No wonder it’s been shown to increase people’s levels of the anxiety hormone Cortisol by up to 400 percent.
Could rethinking anxiety could transform a threat response into a challenge response.
Three conditions.
- The first group got a mindset intervention. To help these participants rethink anxiety, Jamieson put together a few slides explaining how the body’s anxiety response mobilizes energy to meet the demands of a situation. For example, when you feel your heart pounding, it’s because your heart is working harder to deliver more oxygen to your body and brain. He also put together excerpts of scientific articles discussing how people commonly misinterpret their anxiety response as harmful, such as how many people believe that feeling anxious is proof that they lack the ability to do something or believe that the physical symptoms of anxiety mean they are going to choke under pressure. The last part of the intervention was an explicit mindset suggestion. Jamieson told participants, “When you feel anxious or anxietyed, think about how your anxiety response can actually be helpful.”
- Participants in the second group got a very different message about anxiety. They were told that the best way to reduce nerves and improve performance is to ignore anxiety. A few slides and articles hammered this point home for them—although, it should be said, these were phony articles and this is not great advice. They were a control group, and Jamieson did not expect the instructions to help them.
- Those in the third group got to blow off steam before the anxiety test by playing video games—they got no special anxiety instructions at all. After each participant went through whichever condition he or she had been assigned to—the mindset intervention, the instructions to ignore anxiety, or playing video games—the anxiety test began, and, with it, a test of Jamieson’s hunch: that viewing your anxiety response as a resource can turn a threat into a challenge.
Let’s get one finding out of the way: There were no differences in how those who were told to ignore anxiety or play video games per-formed in the social anxiety test.
The mindset intervention subjects anxiety shifted their anxiety responses from threat to challenge in every conceivable way, starting with their perception of resources
The mindset intervention had no effect on how difficult they expected the speech to be, or on how anxietyful they said they found the experience. However, compared with the two control groups, they felt more confident in their abilities to cope with the challenge.
Participants who received the mindset intervention also reacted to the anxiety test with a classic challenge response. Their hearts pumped out more blood with each heartbeat, and they did not show the degree of blood vessel constriction you would expect in a threat response. They also had higher levels of salivary alpha-amylase, a bio-marker for anxiety arousal. They were more anxietyed, but in a good way. In contrast, the control groups showed the physiology of a typical threat response.
Outside Evaluation
Each participant’s speech was filmed. Observers were hired to analyze the videos.
They rated the participants’ overall performance.
They also noted each participant’s body language, posture, and emotional expressions.
The observers didn’t know which participants had received the mindset intervention
Results
Participants who had gotten the mindset intervention were rated as being more confident and more effective overall. They made more eye contact with the evaluators, despite the eye-rolling they endured. Their body language was more open and confident—they smiled more, used more commanding hand gestures, and adopted the kind of expansive postures that psychologists refer to as “power poses.” They also showed fewer signs of shame and anxiety, like fidgeting, touching their face, or looking down. The participants who had received the mindset intervention also made fewer self-handicapping statements, like apologizing for their nervousness. And, yes, they flat-out gave better speeches.
Jamieson went one step further to look at how the mindset intervention affected recovery from the anxiety test. After the math test, the evaluators left, and participants took a computer-based visual test of concentration. While the participants tried to focus on the test, the researchers attempted to distract them with words like fear, danger, and failure. Participants who received the mindset intervention were less likely to be distracted by these words and scored higher on the focus test. However anxietyful the anxiety test had been, they weren’t letting it interfere with the next challenge.
The mindset intervention did. It boosted participants’ perception of their resources to cope with anxiety.
It shifted their cardiovascular anxiety responses from threat to challenge, without calming them down.
They showed greater confidence and engagement, and less anxiety, shame, and avoidance.
Objectively, they performed better.
Afterward, they were less distracted by thoughts of fear and failure.
And the catalyst for this transformation? One simple shift in how they thought about the anxiety response.
The by me mindset turned the body’s anxiety response from a perceived barrier into a perceived resource, tipping the balance from “I can’t handle this” to “I’ve got this.”
Imagine how this by me mindset shift could add up over time.
The difference between a chronic threat response and a chronic challenge response isn’t just whether you can give a good speech or focus during an exam. It could mean the difference between feeling overwhelmed or feeling empowered by the anxiety in your life. It could even mean the difference between having a heart attack at fifty or living into your nineties.
Transform Anxiety: Turn a Threat into a Challenge
Viewing the anxiety response as a resource can transform the physiology of fear into the biology of courage. It can turn a threat into a challenge and can help you do your best under pressure. Even when the anxiety doesn’t feel helpful—as in the case of anxiety—welcoming it can transform it into something that is helpful: more energy, more confidence, and a greater willingness to take action.
You can apply this strategy in your own life anytime you notice signs of anxiety. When you feel your heart pounding or your breath quickening, realize that it is your body’s way of trying to give you more energy. If you notice tension in your body, remind yourself that the anxiety response gives you access to your strength. Sweaty palms? Remember what it felt like to go on your first date—palms sweat when you’re close to something you want. If you have butterflies in your stomach, know that they are a sign of meaning. Your digestive tract is lined with hundreds of millions of nerve cells that respond to your thoughts and emotions. Butterflies are your gut’s way of saying, “This matters.” Let yourself remember why this particular moment matters to you.
Whatever the sensations of anxiety are, worry less about trying to make them go away, and focus more on what you are going to do with the energy, strength, and drive that anxiety gives you. Your body is providing you access to all your resources to help you rise to this challenge. Instead of taking a deep breath to calm down, take a deep breath to sense the energy that is available to you. Then put the energy to use, and ask yourself, “What action can I take, or what choice can I make, that is consistent with my goal in this moment?”
Is it always this simple? No. But stories like this are important re-minders that the resources you need are already inside you. A shift in mindset and a leap of self-trust can help you harness them. The mindset reset this woman chose didn’t change her history of abuse. It didn’t take away her fear in that moment. But it did turn paralysis into courageous action.
Viewing your anxiety response as a resource works because it helps you believe “I can do this.” This belief is important for ordinary anxiety, but it may be even more important during extraordinary anxiety. Knowing that you are adequate to the challenges in your life can mean the difference between hope or despair, persistence or defeat. Research shows that how you interpret your body’s anxiety response plays a role in this belief, whether you are worried about an exam, getting over a divorce, or facing your next round of chemo.
Embracing anxiety is a radical act of self-trust: View yourself as capable and your body as a resource. You don’t have to wait until you no longer have fear, anxiety, or anxiety to do what matters most. Anxiety doesn’t have to be a sign to stop and give up on yourself (to-me). This kind of mindset shift is a catalyst, not a cure. It doesn’t erase your suffering or make your problems disappear. But if you are willing to rethink your anxiety response, it may help you recognize your strength and access your courage.