Can anxiety be your secret weapon to achieving peak performance? Join Dr. Angelia Williams on Creatively Balanced as we unravel the complexities of anxiety and its profound impact on high-performance professions. In this episode, we dissect the nature of anxiety, distinguishing between trait anxiety, which is deeply embedded in one's personality, and situational anxiety triggered by specific circumstances. By understanding these nuances, whether you're a singer, athlete, or leader, you'll learn how to turn anxiety into an asset rather than a hindrance.
Arm yourself with practical techniques to manage anxiety and bolster mental well-being. Dr. Williams shares valuable insights into the power of positive self-talk, affirmations, and the role of physical exercise and diaphragmatic breathing in maintaining balance. Discover the importance of journaling, meditation, and mindful dietary choices in supporting overall mental health. We also critically examine the detrimental effects of excessive social media on productivity and mental well-being, advocating for professional mental health support. Tune in for a comprehensive discussion that promises to empower you with tools to balance anxiety and enhance your performance.
Can anxiety be your secret weapon to achieving peak performance? Join Dr. Angelia Williams on Creatively Balanced as we unravel the complexities of anxiety and its profound impact on high-performance professions. In this episode, we dissect the nature of anxiety, distinguishing between trait anxiety, which is deeply embedded in one's personality, and situational anxiety triggered by specific circumstances. By understanding these nuances, whether you're a singer, athlete, or leader, you'll learn how to turn anxiety into an asset rather than a hindrance.
Arm yourself with practical techniques to manage anxiety and bolster mental well-being. Dr. Williams shares valuable insights into the power of positive self-talk, affirmations, and the role of physical exercise and diaphragmatic breathing in maintaining balance. Discover the importance of journaling, meditation, and mindful dietary choices in supporting overall mental health. We also critically examine the detrimental effects of excessive social media on productivity and mental well-being, advocating for professional mental health support. Tune in for a comprehensive discussion that promises to empower you with tools to balance anxiety and enhance your performance.
Thank you for joining me for today's episode of Creatively Balanced. My name is Dr Angelia Williams and I am a researcher, a peak performance coach, a psychological skills coach, a professional vocal coach and a proud member of the American Psychological Association. Today we're going to discuss anxiety. What actually is anxiety? How do I know what type of anxiety I may be experiencing? And my heart? He had my heart. I'm more than my lipstick. What is anxiety exactly?
Speaker 1:
You have to be careful, because in pop psychology and it's a great you know let me just preface this by saying it is a great thing that there is such a heightened awareness of mental health and that people are now realizing your mental health is just as important as your physical health, because for many years that just was not the case. However, you have to make sure that you have an accurate definition of what a specific term is. Some people just use the term anxiety and not really specifying what type of anxiety, because they may not have the knowledge base to explain what type of anxiety you have, and also they may not have the knowledge base to explain what type of anxiety you have, and also they may not have the knowledge base to diagnose and to ethically filter you to the type of professional that you need. So today we're going to become more knowledgeable about anxiety and what it actually is. About anxiety and what it actually is, it's a state for one thing. It's a state that's caused by a worry or negative emotions or feelings, nervousness these are things that cause the feeling of anxiety, and anxiety can be so severe that a person it can be debilitating. A person can feel like they are under arrest. You know, some people freeze, some people have somatic responses that are that are so it's such a boundary that they literally may be talented but can't perform Right. So that's the severe side of anxiety. But you know, we all have a certain amount of anxiety, I think, during any performance. Some of us don't have severe anxiety, so it's manageable, and some of us it actually helps us to get into the zone which we're going to talk about. We're going to talk about that later, what the zone is, and so we lock in to whatever it is that we're doing. So that level of anxiety that's manageable actually can help you when you are in performance.
Speaker 1:
And when I use the term performance, I work with mostly singers not all singers, but I work with a lot of singers, but also other individuals that are in high performance domains, and what that means is they are always required to perform at a certain level, right? Some of us have professions where, you know, we may go to work on Monday and we may do a great job, we may give it our all and get great results. We may go to work on Tuesday and we're fatigued and tired and we may not give as much and it's not really noticed, right? And then on Wednesday we may go to work and we may feel up because it's hump day, and then Thursday we may just be over it and ready for the weekend. Well, there are some professions that that doesn't work, okay. The performing arts is one sector that that just won't work. Okay. A performer has to perform at an optimal level every time that they are on stage or behind a mic, or dancing or reciting lines, or a CEO, right? Or pastor. These are all high performance domains and anxiety can be a hindrance and a huge problem for those types of professions. And also athletes, right? Athletes are always required to perform at a certain level and therefore they have to know how to manage certain emotions and certain behaviors, right? So anxiety is different from person to person.
Speaker 1:
Now, what causes anxiety? There is a few things that cause anxiety Genetics, and we're going to talk about types of anxiety, because the root of that anxiety, types of anxiety because the root of that anxiety, right, is the, you know, gives the cause. You have trauma, childhood trauma, you have adulthood trauma, you have environmental issues, and you know environmental issues just simply means the environment that a person resides in. You know if, are you stressed out at home? Do you have a stressful home life? Do you have a stressful neighborhood? I for one, you know, am a person that grew up in a not so nice neighborhood, and growing up in certain environments cause an individual to house levels of stress and anxiety that they may not have had if they were in a different situation and in a different environment. Abusive environments that's a huge one, and a lot of times when we think of abuse, we just think of physical abuse, but there are many different types of abuse that can stem from different relationships, right, and cause anxiety. Painful or negative events, right, which is some type of trauma that may have happened in a person's life.
Speaker 1:
Now, the next one is something that I see a lot, a lot of my clients deal with. This next one. Now, a lot of my clients are singers, but a lot of them are not. I also have pastors, I have business owners, and these are all people that are high performing. They reside and they work in high performing professions. Internal struggles, such as negative perceptions or incorrect or negative beliefs, just kind of how you view the world, how you view your circumstances, how you view yourself, those are all internal struggles that can cause anxiety. Ok, now there are two main different types of anxiety, and this is in a performance context, in a performance context. So I want to make sure that that is clear, because you have things like PTSD, you have things like generalized anxiety, you have anxiety that stems from depression. Those are our more clinical sides of anxiety, and so these two categories that we're going to talk about are directly related to performing, to performance, individuals that have to perform. We all have to perform at something right daily. But your higher performers these become more obvious right to someone who has the ability and the knowledge to properly assess.
Speaker 1:
Okay, so you have trait anxiety. Okay, trait anxiety is genetic. It's basically a part of a person's personality, it's kind of embedded in them. One way that you can tell if it may be trait anxiety is do your family members, do people in your family, also deal with high levels of anxiety? If so, it may be genetic. Right, just like anything else. Right, you also have state anxiety.
Speaker 1:
State anxiety only happens in specific situations. For instance, if a person only becomes anxious when they need to perform a specific task. Right, if you're about to sing and you start getting the butterflies in the stomach and you start feeling kind of nauseous and lightheaded, some people have a very strong somatic response and they just kind of lock up. Or if, cognitively, you are affected and you just forget words, you forget the song, you forget the melody right. Or if you're a dancer and you just forget words, you forget the song, you forget the melody right. Or if you're a dancer and you forget steps, those are, that's a state anxiety issue. Okay, many times not always okay, but oftentimes individuals with trait anxiety, where it's genetic, really need to go to see a clinical therapist. Ok, a licensed clinical therapist, because there may be some deep behavioral therapy that needs to happen for that individual to learn to really manage that type of anxiety, that individual to learn to really manage that type of anxiety. However, individuals with state anxiety, they come to see an individual such as myself, because with state anxiety, oftentimes there are things that can be taught. There are psychological skills that can be learned to help you to deal with anxiety, because whatever type of anxiety you have, anxiety management is the key. Okay Now, why does anxiety affect your performance?
Speaker 1:
It kind of depends. Some people have a very strong cognitive response to anxiety. So, as I stated before, cognition deals with thinking. Right. So they get foggy, they get, you know, they get brain fog. Some people can't think at all, some people get mentally foggy and some people just can't think at all. Some people forget, you know what, what they're set out to do lyrical content, melodic content for actors. They may forget their lines, right, that's cognitive response.
Speaker 1:
Somatic response is sometimes even more difficult, difficult, and I'm going to tell you why. A somatic response means that your body, not just your mind, but your body is responding to the level of anxiety, and so you may start getting a dry throat, right. Your mouth may dry out, your body may lock, your muscles may tense, you may start sweating profusely, your heart may start to beat really fast. You can feel it beating almost out of your chest. Those are all somatic responses, and you can just imagine if you are a singer and you are attempting to sing and your body is locked. That doesn't end well, right, because you can't. If your body locks, you can't breathe, you can't move your words, your vowels, your diction, everything is thrown. If your body starts to lock up on you, okay, somatic responses are actual changes in your physiology that hinder you from your performance.
Speaker 1:
So studies show that moderate levels of anxiety can actually help with focus, concentration and motivation, because that's that arousal, right? So if you know that you have to kind of rise to the occasion, as long as you have moderate levels of anxiety, that won't hurt you. As long as you know having severe anxiety, please go and see someone. Want to lock yourself out of optimal performance results? Right. And when I say performance, I just mean whatever it is that you do. You want to be the best you and as excellent as you possibly can, and you don't want anything to hinder that. So if you need to see a peak performance coach or a psychological skills coach or a clinician, just make sure that the person is a part of the APA. So I'm just going to deviate for a moment.
Speaker 1:
Many people can give advice, right, we always give each other advice, just, it's a part of the human experience. However, it is problematic if you are going to someone for mental health advice that does not have the background, the education base or the knowledge base to assist you. Number one for obvious reasons they don't have the knowledge to properly assist you. And number two they don't. They're not bound to any ethical organization, right? Mental health professionals are bound to the American Psychological Association, which means ethically, we must uphold certain things. So if someone comes to me, I am properly qualified to assess if they can stay with me, right, if I can assist them or if I need to send them to a licensed therapist because of my level of knowledge and my understanding of psychology and my know-how of assessment. If someone doesn't have that, you run into a risk of them being unethical and just keeping you as a client just because, just because what you know, whether it's for money or whether it's for numbers or whether it's for appearance, so that you have to be very careful of whenever you are talking to anyone about your state of mental health. Please ask are you a member of the American Psychological Association? If they are not, then just know they are not equipped to help you. Okay, not on a professional level. So, with that being said, anxiety management First of all, learn what type of anxiety you have, and in order to do that, you need to be properly assessed by someone that is qualified and have the credentials to assess you.
Speaker 1:
That's number one. Number two this is a huge one and I think a lot of times we don't know how powerful this is. It is called positive self-talk. What does that mean? You simply are affirming and talking to yourself in a positive manner. Now, affirmations are only one layer of positive self-talk and they're great and they're necessary. However, you need to go a little deeper than affirmation. Affirmations will only take you so far. Positive self-talk is an in-depth, introspective conversation with you, where you are reinforcing who you are, what you are and what you do and why you do it. Your why is huge in positive self-talk.
Speaker 1:
Okay, that's number two. Number three regular exercise. And when I say exercise, I literally mean physical exercise. Get out of the house and walk. Get out of the house and go to the gym. Purchase weights. Do what you need to do. You don't have to purchase anything if you just want to go outside and walk every day. Do that Something to physically keep your body in shape. If your body is in shape, it is easier to keep your mind in shape.
Speaker 1:
Ok, number four, diaphragmatic breathing. Now, this is deep breathing. This is the same type of breathing that, if you know how to breathe correctly for singing, that you do for singing or speaking, it is a deeper breath. The difference in diaphragmatic breathing and just shallow breathing is when you breathe with your diaphragm, you are feeling your entire lung capacity versus just the just the top part of your lungs. Okay, that forces your body to feel and relax. Right, it's just, it's, it's. It's kind of a double. It's a double benefit. When you sing, not only does it help you to support your sound if you're a singer or a speaker, but if you're a singer or a speaker or anything else, diaphragmatic breathing relaxes the body.
Speaker 1:
Okay, also, changes in your perception, changes in how you view the world and see. This is the behavioral and the psychological aspect of anxiety. You know, know, when it's ailing you, it may be the way that you are viewing things. It may be the way that you are viewing your situation. You would be very surprised at how a change in perception can help you to manage your emotions and your anxiety. For instance, if you are on a stage and you are automatically thinking that the crowd doesn't like you, that's going to automatically cause anxiety versus you being on a stage and learning how to be mindful and in the moment and getting into a zone and there's a few exercises that I do with clients where the crowd goes away you don't become disconnected from them, but mentally you are absorbed in what you're doing and because you're so absorbed in what you're doing, you're doing and because you're so absorbed in what you're doing, the crowd and what they feel and think just no longer is a huge. It's a huge deal, just because you have become enthralled and raptured in the activity.
Speaker 1:
Okay, so, changes in perception, changes in how you view things, changes in how you view things, visualization techniques that is the one that I use the most often with my client base Visualization techniques. It could be a simple technique, such as I have one technique that I've taught some of my clients through the years. It's called enter the white room, right. I won't explain what that technique is, right. If you want to learn that, you have to come and see me. However, it is one of the most successful techniques. I have literally been able to witness all of the muscle tension and when their shoulders lock my clients. All of that goes away when they learn this technique, because it is an anxiety fighting and a tension fighting technique. It allows you to make everything just kind of go away and you go into your music. You are kind of absorbed by your music or whatever the activity is that you're doing. This is a this is a huge one.
Speaker 1:
Begin to journal. Why is journaling so powerful? Because journaling gives you the opportunity to see patterns, to see patterns. Journaling is an introspective exercise. It helps you to look within, and when I say look within, I mean at things that you necessarily would miss. You necessarily wouldn't catch it. You may miss it Once you start journaling. Every day you start seeing patterns and it helps you to identify what the issue may be surrounding your anxiety. Another one learn to meditate Now. To meditate Now. I'm just going to say this right here.
Speaker 1:
Meditation is looked at as a spiritual exercise and for the most part it is. And when I say spiritual, I have a Christian worldview. I am a Christian, but all of my clients are not. Whatever your core belief is, learn to meditate. It will keep you centered, it will keep you at peace. Ok, because what it does is it reinforces your understanding that there is a higher power than you. If there is a higher power than you, if there's a higher power than you, right then that higher power is in control. That takes all of the pressure off of you. As long as you operate and do what you're supposed to do, you know, such as practice, making sure that you are serious about your craft. Meditation reminds you to leave the rest up to the higher power, and it helps you to be centered. So, whether you have a Christian worldview or not, that is a huge anxiety management tool.
Speaker 1:
Okay, mindfulness. Mindfulness just means learning to be in the moment, not yesterday, not worried about what's going to happen tomorrow. Be in the moment of now. When you are involved in any activity. You have to learn to be in the moment If you are outside of time. If you are outside of that specific moment, you open yourself up for your mind to start running and thinking about everything that could possibly go wrong, versus you just enjoying what you are doing in that very moment. Okay, now this is another huge one Watch your diet choices.
Speaker 1:
There are actually foods that raise anxiety, and I'm going to tell you one that I absolutely love, but I don't indulge before I do specific things because, number one, it's dehydrating to the body and number two, it causes anxiety to rise. And that is coffee. Anything with anything with coffee, anything with caffeine actually coffee, tea, soda, caffeine causes your anxiety to rise. So if you are already fighting with high anxiety, you don't want to feed that monster, you want to quell it. Ok, you want to quiet it. So if you drink something that's caffeinated or eat something that has caffeine in it, that is going to actually worsen your anxiety. Ok, chocolate is another one messenger, because research shows this, research proves this. When I say watch your diet, I don't just mean what you eat, I mean what you consume.
Speaker 1:
And social media is a huge one. We consume huge amounts of social media, and social media has been proven over and over and over in so many studies to induce depression and to heighten anxiety. So watch what you consume, right. So watch what you consume right. If you don't watch what you consume, you are opening yourself up to so many adverse results and your thing is to stay physically, mentally and spiritually in tune and in sync and happy.
Speaker 1:
And if you are always scrolling, number one, you are not being productive if you're always, if you're always scrolling unless your job is in social media. If your job is not in social media, you should not be always scrolling. You are not being productive. That's counterproductive. And number two, you are causing yourself bad eyes because you're always on some type of device. Right?
Speaker 1:
Research also shows that a lot of social media, just a lot of computer time period, starts to eat away at your brain cells. Okay, so that's something to think about. And social media just causes depression and anxiety, point blank. And if you want to do a search on that, research that Make sure when you research you don't just go to Google, go to Google Scholar and research that, if you, if you'd like to, it's harmful. So make sure that you use it in moderation and use it. Anxiety management Again your girlfriend, your coworker, your guy friend, your mommy, your sister, you know, if they are not mental health professionals, they can only assist you with advice and they cannot properly assess what type of anxiety you even have. So make sure that you find someone that is APA stamped and APA stands for the American Psychological Association, and that is if you live in the Americas. Thank you so much for joining me today on this episode of Creatively Balanced. Again, my name is Dr Angelia Williams and it was a pleasure.
