The Benefits of Anxiety and Nervousness

Anxiety can create stress, but there's also a silver lining to feeling a little bit nervous. Not only can it help you perform your best, but it can also trigger the release of brain chemicals that help motivate you to go after your goals.

We often hear about the negative aspects of anxiety, so it might be a bit surprising to hear that feeling anxious or nervous can be beneficial at times. After all, anxiety is a feeling that is often characterized by intense fear, worry, and apprehension.

Many individuals with anxiety describe it as a feeling of nervousness and dread that can be distracting at best and all-consuming at worst. Anxiety is typically experienced on many levels, affecting one’s emotions, leading to uncomfortable physical sensations, and contributing to negative thoughts.

Why Anxiety Is (Sometimes) Good for You

When you start to feel anxious or nervous, it's normal to want to pull back, find an escape, or do something to make those feelings go away. After all, anxiety doesn't feel good—your stomach churns, you sweat, you tremble, and your breath becomes rapid and shallow. Your body is telling you that something is wrong, and you need to either fight or flee.

Here's a closer look at some of the ways that anxiety can actually have a positive impact:

Anxiety Can Be a Type of "Good Stress"

These symptoms of anxiety are a common problem for people who have been diagnosed with any type of anxiety disorder, including panic disorder. However, have you ever considered some of the possible positive effects that may come with having anxiety?

Good stress, also referred to as eustress, keeps us motivated and excited about life. It appears that some degree of anxiety may have similar "silver linings." Let's take a look at what they've been learning.

Anxiety Can Be Informative

Anxiety may be just the warning sign you need to bring awareness to your current situation and make some necessary changes in your life. Recurrent worry and nervousness can be an indication that some areas of your life are off track and need adjusting.

For example, you may find that you have a relationship that is no longer working, perhaps your job is causing a great deal of stress, or maybe financial issues have you losing sleep and feeling anxious.

The next time anxiety strikes, consider what message it has for you and the possible adjustments you may need to make in your life.

Anxiety Can Help Motivate You

Rather than always being considered a hindrance, anxiety may actually help you feel more motivated and prepared when faced with challenges. Anxiety can help trigger the release of dopamine, a brain chemical that can help people feel more motivated to pursue their goals. Feeling slightly anxious about something can help you study harder, practice more, and get more prepared to deal with the situation.

According to Yerkes-Dodson law, anxiety can help improve performance up to a certain point. That might be why moderate amounts of anxiety help athletes feel more motivated, while excessive anxiety can then impair both motivation and performance. Research has also shown that people who have good working memory may actually perform better on cognitive tests when they are moderately anxious.

Anxiety Can Be a Built-In Warning System

Even though it may seem useless at times, there is a purpose for anxiety. These feelings and symptoms are a part of our innate way of dealing with stress. Known as the fight-or-flight response, anxiety is meant to protect us from danger and allow us to react faster to emergencies.

When it came to our ancestors, the fight-or-flight stress response prepared humans to either attack back or flee from a life-threatening risk in the environment, such as a dangerous animal or climate condition.

One study found in the U.K. found that adolescents who suffered from anxiety had fewer accidents and accidental deaths in early adulthood than those who did not have anxiety. In this sense, anxiety may be a sign to help keep you safe.

Anxiety Can Foster Greater Empathy

People who have dealt with anxiety may be more empathetic and understanding of the issues that others face. Having gone through personal struggles, you may be more sensitive, loving, and accepting when friends and family members deal with personal challenges.

Anxiety Can Make You a Better Leader

People with anxiety may also be skilled in leadership roles since they tend to carefully consider the possibility of multiple outcomes. For instance, many individuals with anxiety describe it as being highly aware of what can potentially go wrong, making them more cautious thinkers, careful decision-makers, and great problem-solvers.

How to Experience the Benefits of Anxiety

Consider ways that your anxiety incentivizes you to succeed in some areas of your life. For instance, perhaps your anxiety assists you in putting extra effort into work or personal tasks, making a good impression, or moving towards your goals.

When considering your own anxiety, try to think of ways that you can use it to inspire your growth and self-improvement. Some strategies that can help include:

• Reframe anxiety as excitement: Sometimes, changing how you think about these feelings can help. Instead of thinking of it as "anxiety," tell yourself that you are feeling a sense of excitement or anticipation.
• Use relaxation techniques: How you manage your anxiety can also play a role in the effect it has. To avoid feeling overwhelmed by it, try different relaxation methods to help calm your mind and body. Deep breathing can be particularly effective, since it helps to trigger the body's relaxation response.
• Don't try to avoid it: Avoiding the things that make you anxious can actually make anxiety worse in the long run. Instead, focus on doing things even if they make you feel anxious or nervous. Utilize the relaxation techniques you've practiced and remind yourself that feelings of anxiety are only temporary.

Signs of Too Much Anxiety

Of course, anxiety isn't always helpful. It can be distressing and even debilitating when it is too severe. In such cases, these feelings aren't providing valuable information, and the symptoms of anxiety can impair your performance. Instead of helping you do your best, such symptoms make it very difficult to perform at all.

Some signs that these feelings have moved beyond normal, helpful anxiety and into something more serious that requires attention include:

• Experiencing anxiety symptoms that are out of proportion to the situation
• An inability to control your feelings of anxiety, nervousness, and worry
• Physical symptoms that interfere with your ability to function
• Avoidance of situations that trigger anxiety that impairs your ability to function normally
• Feelings of distress
• An inability to focus on concentrate
• Feelings of impending doom
• Sleep disturbances
• Panic attacks
  

If you are experiencing such symptoms, talking to your doctor or a mental health professional is important.

What to Do When Anxiety Isn't Helpful

Even though there can be some potential benefits to experiencing anxiety, and it is worthwhile to point these out to yourself, it can also become a real hindrance to many aspects of your life. Your career, relationships, and personal aspirations may be negatively affected by your struggle with anxiety.

Your doctor or therapist will be able to determine if your symptoms meet the criteria of an anxiety disorder, such as panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or social anxiety disorder (SAD). Additionally, she will be able to assist in creating a treatment plan that can help you better cope with your anxiety.

Takeaways

Anxiety isn't always a bad thing. A little bit of anxiety and nervousness can help prepare you to deal with threats, perform your best, and motivate you to keep working toward your goals. Too much anxiety, however, can create distress and make it difficult to function normally.

It's important to evaluate your feelings to determine if your anxiety levels are normal or if they are interfering with your life. If too much anxiety is holding you back, talk to a mental health professional and look for ways to manage your anxiety levels, including using strategies like deep breathing, yoga, progressive muscle relaxation, and mindfulness meditation.