Former monk explains how to transform your debilitating anxiety into a performance enhancer

Anxiety plagues the mind with stress, fear, and overthinking for many people. Many well-meaning friends could see you looking anxious and just tell you to relax and calm down. “Calm down”? Easier said than done. However, one former monk has a different piece of advice. When you feel anxious, instead of calming down, amp it up.

Mindfulness expert and ex-monk Cory Muscara recommends that people take their anxiety and reframe it into excitement. Muscara claims that a stressful or an anxiety-inducing experience creates physiological energy and bodily responses (increased heart rate, blood pressure, etc.) that is similar to excitement. By imagining the stressful situation going extremely well and creating more positive imagery, the mind could shift that anxiety feeling to one of excitement without changing much of how your body physically reacts. This could be an easier way for people to reduce their anxiety compared to trying to calm themselves down, both in mind and body. This isn’t just holistic advice as there is scientific evidence showing that mentally shifting from anxiety to excitement can benefit anxious people.

Muscara’s pathway to mindfulness has been interesting. As a college student, he got into meditation in order to impress his then-girlfriend. After the relationship ended, he spent six months in a monastery in Burma living in silence and meditating for over 14 hours each day. After his excursion, he got a master’s degree in positive psychology and went on to write a book titled Stop Missing Your Life: How to be Deeply Present in an Un-Present World.

Second opinions from experts

Muscara isn’t the only person that thinks corralling your anxiety and altering it into excitement is a functional method. The professionals that reached out to GOOD see its benefits.

“Changing your outlook and attitude by shifting from negative foresight to positive foresight is a common technique in the realm of performance psychology and anxiety management technique,” said licensed therapist Luis Fraire. “Similar to shifting your perception of the physiological symptoms from nervous ‘bubble gut’ to excited ‘butterflies,’ all have benefits if the individual is capable of exerting that amount of self control through awareness and regulation.”

“Typically, anxiety is thought of as something that needs to be resolved,” said licensed psychotherapist John Puls. “However, anxiety is a normal physiological response to trying something new and uncomfortable. It is totally possible to harness some of that anxious energy to propel you forward.”

“Reframing anxiety as excitement allows you to accept the feeling of being anxious rather than avoiding it,” said psychotherapist Eliza Davis. “When we learn we can use anxiety as a positive feeling or a motivator it becomes less threatening, increases confidence and resilience.”

Turning anxiety into excitement isn’t one-size-fits-all treatment

While shifting your mindset from anxiety to excitement can help some folks manage it, there may be situations in which a person’s anxiety needs other techniques or treatment. If anxiety isn’t being handled healthily, it could lead to other problems.

“When you reframe anxiety as excitement, this allows you to gain some mastery over the experience,” said Puls. “The only downside is that if the anxiety isn’t resolved, it can lead to further mental health distress or even a panic attack.”

“The cons arise when an individual is unable to practice that level of self-control and no shift in perspective or outlook could overpower worry or other anxiety symptoms,” said Fraire. “It is also important to highlight that some worry or forecasting of negative outcomes can serve as a protective factor that aids in preparation and self preservation. You don't want to oversee an obvious barrier that could have easily been avoided, or endanger yourself due to toxic positivity.”

So when you find yourself nervous or anxious about something, try imagining the greatest outcome and see if the excitement helps out. However, if you find yourself continually shifting anxiety into excitement or find that it isn’t helping, you may want to seek professional guidance and therapy in order to get the help, techniques, and tools you need for your own success. Whether or not it’s better to calm yourself down or to amp yourself up, good things will be possible.