Taming the Beast

Anxiousness is part of my day, every day. I dealt with it most days when I was teaching. I was able to recognise it in my students. I went to great lengths to minimise it in my classrooms.

An anxious brain won’t retain any learning. It will encode memories out of sequence. When an anxious brain tries to recall learning, it makes a mess of things. Does your child overthink things the night before a big exam? Or a playoff game? Or a performance of some kind?

Yes, that’s nerves. But anxiousness is rolled in there somewhere. Were you anxious ahead of a job interview? Of course, you were.

Nervousness and anxiousness keep us on edge when dealing with those things. Many professional performers say they are always nervous before a big show. They tame their nerves and anxiousness and channel it into an outstanding performance.

Anxiousness is a problem when there’s nowhere to send it. It becomes more and more challenging to tame.

Taming the beast is difficult.