If you find yourself getting anxious and full of self-doubt before a meeting or presentation. If you’re familiar with that feeling of heart palpitations and unease in your stomach, that prompts sleepless nights and anxious moments, here a few great tips to help you manage your anxiety and self-esteem and get back in balance.
1. Recognise the best version of yourself and which version of you that you want to show up to the meeting or presentation. Knowing your strengths really helps with this, understand your capabilities, expertise and knowledge when you are at your best. This enables a foundation upon which to stabilize yourself mentally. It will allow you to know how you want to show up and be seen by others, so you can enjoy being at the meeting or stepping up for the presentation.
2. Change your perspective instead of worrying about what might happen focus on being curious and ask yourself what knowledge you can pass on today or what difference you can make in a meeting and how having you in the room is going to help others.
3. If you are focussing on old, 'past their sell date' memories that fuel your self-doubt and diminish your self-esteem, then work on neutralizing those memories so their impact reduces.
Think of all the things you were missing in the old memory that you have learnt since and can use to help your next meeting or presentation. Another trick is to write the memory out like a story and then rip it up and replace it with a new story that features the up to date version of you instead of the old you.
4. Focus on more helpful memories. This is very empowering. Select a memory that shows you at your best, either in the situation you experience nerves about, or a good powerful memory of a time when you felt strong and at your best. Take some time to remember how you felt and include as much detail as you can. Keep this strong memory somewhere to hand – e.g in your phone notes, or record it as an audio file you can listen to.
5. Use this strong, empowering memory frequently, especially before important events where you may be experiencing nerves. Make it your default, go-to setting and take some time to immerse yourself in its power.
There are lots of other ways CBT can help manage anxiety and self-esteem – and these are a great start when you use them. For more help you can book a session to work on your anxiety and self-esteem issues at www.cbt-dublin.com.
Let me know how you get on.
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