Short messages on Positive change from Respect Yourself, the guidance site for young people to help make good decisions in life.
Many people experience stage fright, yet the fear leading up to a performance can help you be in the moment and focus intensely on what is before you. Learn to acknowledge the fear and then direct it to where it will be most beneficial.
The same things we fear also incite feelings of exhilaration and even passion. That’s why people enjoy extreme sports, horror movies, and swimming with sharks on holiday. Try to re-frame your fear in a positive light, and acknowledge the thrill it can offer.
Failure Mode and Effects Analysis helps you understand what works: for your problem, name all the things that are contributing to the failure, ask how often it occurs, list the actions you’ve taken to ensure it does not recur, then analyse which solutions worked.
The Pareto Principle shows that 80% of your results come from 20% of your causes. If you record why you’re late somewhere, 20% of your reasons cause 80% of the times you are late. Focusing on fixing these “vital few” causes means you’ll arrive on time 4 times out of 5.
When your body experiences fear, lots of triggers ready your body for a “fight-or-flight” action response. Learn to override this response by counteracting with relaxation techniques. Relaxation tells your body that there is no danger and that you are safe.
Running from fears never improves the way you feel about a fear. Next time you experience a fear, verbally engage the fear, using words that describe your fear and anxiety.
One of the simplest causal analysis methods involves asking yourself “why” five times. You start by identifying the problem. “My house is always disorganised.” Then, you ask yourself why that is the case. You create a chain of inquiry that offers insight about the core of the problem.
Performing root cause analysis can help you identify the root of your problems so that you can eliminate the issue for good. “Causal analysis” is a method that can help you anticipate future problems, eliminate current issues, and develop an action-plan to resolve trouble.
The power to label your emotions is beneficial for self-understanding and emotional intelligence. Engaging with a fear and verbalising your fear has incredible power to help you overcome fears and regulate emotions.
“Exposing yourself to your fear” means doing small steps until you feel no fear. If you’re afraid of dogs, start by looking at a badly drawn doodle of a dog until you feel no fear response. Then, look at a photo of a dog, then a video of a dog and so on, until no fear response exists at each stage.