Fresh Start Monday #057: What is optimal anxiety?
I'm sure you've heard of the term, get outside your comfort zone. I'll introduce another way of looking at it in today's post.
The term optimal anxiety comes from the Yerkes-Dodson law, which originated in 1908. It's a model of the relationship between stress and task performance.
What I like about optimal anxiety is that it implies that a certain amount of anxiety is good for you. When you start to feel anxious, it’s maybe not something to avoid or remove, but ask, how can you use this anxiety to your advantage?
The trick is finding the correct level of anxiety. A level that is changing all the time based on the complexity of the task, your skill level, and your experience, among other things.
This graph depicts the Yerkes-Dodson curve. I want to point out a few things.
The word arousal relates to stress and motivation. Notice that on the left-hand side, when arousal is low. That means we're in a low-stress environment with less anxiety.
Think of a job you've had that has the same repetitive tasks every day. Nothing changes, and you fall into a routine. That low-stress environment is comfortable but also coincides with low performance. You need some amount of stress to pique your attention and interest.
On the right-hand side, your performance is impacted when stress is too high.
Yerkes and Dodson formed their theory by performing experiments on mice. They used mild electric shocks, but the mice took longer to learn the task as the shocks got stronger. They were more focused on avoiding the shock than on completing the task.
When I read this, I thought of my experience rock climbing. When I pushed myself too far past my skill level, I focused more on not falling than climbing. The fear became overwhelming.
It's a delicate balance between just enough stress to provide motivation but not too much to create an intense stress reaction that might result in a fight, flight, or freeze response.
Let's use public speaking as an example - a common fear for many.
If public speaking terrifies you, standing up and giving a speech in front of 100 people will produce too much anxiety to perform well.
How do we gradually increase the arousal?
Get into the habit of leaving voicemails or voice messages over texting. You start getting more comfortable with the sound of your own voice.
Try speaking out loud and speaking up in group settings. At first, it's within a friend group. Or at a family gathering. It is then increasing the stress by speaking up in a work meeting.
Before rehearsing the speech in front of people, set up a test Zoom call and record yourself giving the speech.
Give the speech to your dog.
Practice the speech in front of your siblings or supportive friends.
Seek out opportunities to present in front of audiences. Attend your local Toastmasters group or an improv club. Can you offer to do a Lunch and Learn at work?
Other opportunities might include making a toast at dinner, speaking at a friend's wedding, or at a colleague's farewell drinks. Or volunteering to present to smaller audiences at work.
Giving a speech in front of a 100 people.
Journal Prompts
When we focus on a big goal or opportunity in our life, we often focus on that one task and the anxiety that comes with it. But instead of diving into number 7 or 8 in the above list, what's number 1 for you? Remember, it's different for everybody.
Here are some journal prompts to consider:
Where in your life do you feel no motivation? How can you add a degree of difficulty or stress?
Where in your life do you feel avoidant of a task or situation? How can you reduce the stress level that might hamper your performance?
Take note of times in your life when you've felt engaged and focused. How difficult was the task? What level of experience/skill/confidence did you have before attempting the task?