How To Control Your Nerves? 10 Effective Strategies To Stay Calm

Know how to control nerves? There are moments in life when it is inevitable to feel them: an exam, a job interview, a public presentation, some medical results…, and in all of them there is concern that everything will turn out as we expect. As you can imagine, nerves and nervousness are not the best allies to get what you want, so we are going to see some strategies and techniques to control your nerves that will help you calm the discomfort caused by them. Knowing how to calm down when nervousness arises in the stomach is a skill that will allow you to enjoy many more moments of your life.

Nerves or anxiety?

It should be noted that when we suffer a nervous state constant that lasts over time and that affects us emotionally or physically (even causing some pathologies) or becomes anxiety, it is not enough to follow certain specific strategies to calm the nerves, but it is necessary to go to the origin. You have to find out what negative thoughts, fears or worries are causing this inner discomfort or nervousness and try to combat it to find a solution to that anxiety. In these more acute cases, it is advisable to go to a psychology specialist who can help detect the mechanisms that are activated, analyze their causes, work on them and obtain the appropriate resources to control nerves and anxiety.

Unlike nervousness caused by anxiety, there are nerves that are caused by specific events that increase our emotional tension and affect a very specific period that we know will pass. They are exemplified by some of these symptoms:

• Nerves in the stomach: inability to eat, intestinal problems…
• Sweating and chills
• Feeling of dry mouth
• Pulse acceleration
• Redness of the face and extremities
• Occasional insomnia and nightmares as well as recurring thoughts

There are nervous people who are more likely to suffer from nerves in situations where there is some type of pressure. Despite this, there are ways to know how to calm yourself at this time.

Why do we get nervous?

Suffer from nervousness It is a completely normal reaction that we can all experience at a specific moment. In fact, getting nervous is an evolutionary reaction that helped us survive in nature for many years.

When we face a stressful situation (whether in a natural environment or in our daily lives) our body reacts in the same way. The nervous system begins to release adrenaline, a hormone that prepares it for sudden physical activity, to try to combat the threat coming from the outside. It is for this reason that we experience all ssymptoms of nervousness

In this way, we cannot escape from experiencing nerves or this inner nervousness. Even so, we can reduce our nerves and try to minimize the effects we feel. calm the nerves that arise in these situations.

10 strategies to control your nerves

Once the differences have been clarified and the symptoms of nerves have been explained, we present ten strategies to know how to control occasional nerves and regain calm. On the one hand, we must focus on reducing stress levels by minimizing mental loads and carrying out breathing exercises and relaxation techniques that help sleep. It is also important to exercise regularly, eat a balanced and healthy diet, avoiding coffee and stimulating drinks, or practice meditation. Let’s look at each of these strategies to combat nerves

1. Breathing exercises: To control our nerves when we feel agitated, one of the easiest techniques to perform is practice breathing exercises Normally, in states of nervousness and stress when faced with a situation, we breathe quickly and superficially without paying any attention to how we do it. If we stop to think and try to control it consciously, we will be able to relax quickly. To do this, it involves inhaling and exhaling through the nose in a deep, slow and sustained way and feeling how the air enters and exits through our body. In this way, the nervous system It gradually relaxes and we will notice a certain relaxation. Furthermore, this strategy to calm our nerves can be practiced at any time and place and will work very well just before the event or situation that causes our nervous state. There are different techniques to relax that you can do at home to be able to get rid of your nerves more quickly in situations that require it.
2. Practice sports: Everyone knows that practicing sports is one of the best ways to relax and secrete endorphins, one of the happiness hormones, which causes a large dose of energy that generates calm and well-being. For control your nerves No matter the sport you choose, it can be from running to walking, cycling or going to the gym, the type of exercise is the least important thing, the important thing is that while you are doing it you are enjoying yourself and freeing your mind from other stimuli. There are calmer physical activities such as yoga or pilates that also promote that relaxation that is so necessary when you are nervous but they do not work for everyone. Therefore, any physical activity can be a useful relaxation strategy to regain calm before a moment that worries us. Although it may seem obvious, being constantly nervous may be precisely due to the fact that we are leading a too sedentary life.
3. Express emotions: Sharing emotions with others helps control the nerves of nervous people, reducing the mental loads, questions and self-responses they have in difficult moments. Let off steam and listen to trusted people as well as receive encouragement and be accompanied by other similar experiences will reduce tension and nervousness In addition, carrying out activities in the company of friends or family allows you to socialize and disconnect if you do not want to talk about what is worrying, a very useful resource to relax the mind. Expressing our nervousness to others is an effective way to calm the nerves we feel about a situation.
4. Avoid anticipating possible events: Having catastrophic thoughts, irrational fears that everything will go wrong or feeling that you are not prepared is very common in nervous states You have to be realistic and consider that many of the things that go through your head will not happen and that if they do happen, a solution will be found when it comes time. Anticipating only serves to add more stress. Know how to control nerves When these invade us it is key so that they do not cause us discomfort. To do this, it is important not to think too much about what could happen, to relativize the possibilities and to trust in our strengths. It is also essential to be well prepared for the situation: study for exams rehearse a presentation or try to control possible incidents, although leaving room for improvisation.
5. Connect with nature: A walk in the countryside is a great way to recharge your batteries. The same thing happens with the beach or any open space where letting yourself be surrounded by the environment, the air, the aromas and the peace it transmits will relax our nervous system and will not take away (even for a moment) our worries. Some studies confirm that connect with nature It is good for controlling nerves since in these environments heart rate and blood pressure are reduced and the immune system is strengthened, improving positivity and well-being. In this way, one of the ways to calm the nerves quickly It is precisely enjoying a natural environment.
6. Practice meditation: The goal of meditation is to bring the person practicing it to the present moment, focusing only on the now. Meditation for control your nerves It is ideal for releasing tensions as it offers serenity and peace as well as a clearer vision to face the situations we face. While it is true that meditation requires practice to be 100% effective, there are some guided exercises that can be followed without problem. You can also resort to mindfulness, which is a technique of attention or full awareness, which helps calm nerves and manage stress. In this case, some mindfulness exercises to combat nervousness They can be the body scan, which consists of spending a few minutes mentally going through our body being aware of each organ, or practicing presence with the five senses, from the sounds that surround us and that we do not pay attention to the smells and touch of each object that we usually touch. All these relaxation exercises make us concentrate on something else and evade us from worries. We will see that how to control your nerves With these strategies it is much easier.
7. Carry out creative activities: Painting, singing, dancing, playing an instrument and even decorating the house or doing DIY and crafts can be perfect techniques to control your nerves at specific times. Not in vain, the art therapy or music therapy are alternatives that help in times when stress is important as well as to treat other disorders. Furthermore, focusing on an activity in which concentration is required serves to relax recurring thoughts and the nerves that are being experienced at the moment.
8. Rest and sleep well: When we are nervous about something, one of the most common effects is have problems with sleep such as going through phases of mild insomnia or having recurring nightmares with the worry that is causing the nerves. Resting well has to be a priority since it affects physical but also emotional health. Failure to do so can have consequences in all areas, from work to our personal relationships. To do this, in addition to having good sleep hygiene, it is essential to sleep enough hours and to have quality sleep. For this reason, for control your nerves can be practiced relaxation techniques for sleeping such as playing evocative music or playing mental games such as counting down or visualizing images that make us feel relaxed. Resting well is a good antidote not only to know how to get rid of the nerves but also to avoid suffering many repercussions on our mental health.
9. Take care of your diet: A healthy and balanced diet is always important, but even more so when we are going through difficult times. Therefore, when we experience nervousness recurrent it is not advisable to eat copious and strong meals and, of course, you must avoid drinks such as coffee or stimulating and/or exciting soft drinks. To control your nerves, the ideal is to opt for relaxing infusions before going to sleep or before facing that situation that agitates us.
10. Bet on a sense of humor: Laughter is, sometimes, the best therapy and calming your nerves with a good laugh provides numerous benefits. Thinking about what causes us nervousness, looking for the positive side and de-dramatizing it and even using irony is a useful resource that will make the discomfort decrease.

So, with these strategies on how to control nerves, the drink in the face of any situation that provokes them can go a little easier. However, as already