“Anxiety can be food for motivation. It can also be the liquor of despair.” -Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator & Body Language Expert (Click to Tweet)
“This Is Why You Should Be Aware Of Anxiety Signs”
“People don’t realize; they’re always negotiating.”
He yelled at the top of his voice, “I’m not going to take this anymore!” To which the other negotiators that were at the table looked in amazement and said, “gosh, all we said was, good morning.” That’s a little tongue-in-cheek. But I point it out to highlight what can occur when anxiety besets you in your negotiation.
Since you’re always negotiating, anxiety affects the interactions you have with other people. And that’s the reason you should be aware of the signs that indicate the rise of uneasiness in you and others. It can create a mindset that undermines the activities you and they engage in, which can lead to diminished outcomes, leading to a state of depression. And you don’t want that to happen to you, do you?
The following are signs that signal anxiety and what you can do to beat-back its attempts to wreak havoc on your opportunities.
Anxiety Challenges
Yes, it’s true. Anxiety can fuel your efforts. But too much tension is like being overly caffeinated. It can be the cause of your lack of proper functioning. You may have heard about performance anxiety. It relates to worrying about whether you’ll be able to perform so much that your performance becomes hampered.
Suffice it to say, when you sense the signs of anxiety, initiate controlling factors to reckon with it. That will allow your early warning system to gear up to determine how you’ll respond to what you’re experiencing. It’ll also put you in a heightened state of preparedness to control the direction you’ll take anxiety in, and not the uncontrolled path that it might take you.
Mental Anxiety
- The psychological, mental manipulation that occurs in the mind of someone experiencing anxiety can lead that person to misperceive the intent of other people. And that can lead to a lack of trust, which can lead that individual into believing he doesn’t fit into some environments. That perception can destroy relationships, which might decrease future opportunities.
- Misperception of reality can be a side effect of mental anxiety. That condition can cause the person afflicted by it to imagine an unrealistic perspective of what’s occurring in his environment.
- Stress and mental anxiety are associates that feed one another. That’s to say, fear, a stimulant of anxiety, feeds nervousness. And that fuel feeds stress. Thus, another benefit of controlling anxiety is the benefit that stems from less pressure, less strain, and less tension.
Sleep Problems
How do you feel when you’re sleep-deprived, groggy, irritable, short-tempered, tired? Do you consider how that will affect that day’s activities? Sleep deprivation can be the cause of negative thought processes. It can also enhance the degree of angst you experience, which is another reason you must be vigilant of the signs that announce anxiety’s arrival. Thus, forsaking good sleep habits exposes you to more stress, which leads to more anxiety.
Concentration Difficulties
“I can’t focus! And that’s bothering me.” Many people have spoken those words. Those that did were expressing their bouts with concentration. I’m sure you’ve made such comments. Because a lack of focus has most likely happened to you more than once in your life. Slow cognitive abilities, due to a lack of concentration, can be a sign that anxiety is belaboring you. It can also be the driver that takes you deeper into a state of fear, dread, and despair.
When you experience a lack of concentration, examine the signs that led to it. Thoughts to consider are, did it occur due to sleep deprivation, an overload of activities, the feeling you don’t measure up in your environment. You can’t solve a problem if you don’t know the source of it. Thus, identifying its source gives you insight into what to address. That alone should begin to decrease your lack of focus because you’ll have the awareness needed to correct the situation.
Excessive Worrying
He told his 45-year-old daughter that she should address a different course of action to remain safe. She rebuffed him by stating that she’d exercise caution. But that didn’t decrease the dread he felt for her safety. She attempted to reassure him again with her statement. But it only added to his anxiety because he could not stop the strangling thoughts that stifled his mind. One thing led to another, and father and daughter agreed to decrease the conversations they had with each other. The thought being, if the father didn’t know about his daughter’s activities, he wouldn’t worry about her because he’d be unaware of what she was doing.
Do you find yourself obsessing over aspects of your life, due to events that you can’t control? When do you feel besieged by problems? Do you note when it occurs, versus when it doesn’t? It’s essential to make and be aware of that assessment. Because, as already stated, by identifying when any form of negativity occurs, you have a better chance to address it before it becomes more uncontrollable. Be kind to your mind. Note the signs that indicate excessive worrying. Release the unnecessary pressures that build on you. To lead a more fulfilled life, remove the mental weights that weigh you down.
Reflection
When addressing signs of anxiety, first, recognize those signs exist. Then, you can begin to address them. And, to alter your perspective of something you see as overwhelming, consider looking at its less significant parts versus its whole.
Addressing smaller segments of a challenge allows you to see yourself making progress. That should motivate you to tackle the next aspect of it. The implementation of this tactic will lower your anxiety, which should allow you to drive forward faster with a less cluttered mind. And everything will be right with the world.
Remember, you’re always negotiating!
Listen to Greg’s podcast at https://anchor.fm/themasternegotiator
After reading this article, what are you thinking? I’d like to know. Reach me at Greg@TheMasterNegotiator.com
To receive Greg’s free “Negotiation Tip of the Week” and the “Negotiation Insight” click here https://www.themasternegotiator.com/greg-williams/
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