Pages about “Nerves”

Job interview nervesPrepare five or six stories you can tell well, practice them out loud, treat the racing heart as readiness, and slow your breathing before you go in.
- Evidence: Some
- Takes: a few hours over the week before
Slow exhale breathingBreathe out for longer than you breathe in, for two minutes. One of the better-supported quick resets, though the effect is modest.
- Evidence: Some
- Takes: 2 minutes
Staying calm before a difficult meetingLong exhales, a named feeling, a written opening line and one if-then plan. Nerves won't vanish, but they get smaller and easier to work with.
- Evidence: Some
- Takes: 10 minutes
Naming the feelingPut what you feel into a few plain words. Lab studies suggest it takes some heat out of a feeling, but the effect on how people say they feel is mixed.
- Evidence: Weak
- Takes: 1 minute