I admit, I am an anxious person by nature. I lean towards optimism most of the time, but the second there’s a potential conflict, wrinkle, or—honestly—I feel like there’s the slightest chance someone is upset about something, my default is a racing heartbeat, shaking hands, and not-too-ideal digestion. Even when I logically, rationally recognize that the implications of something—even in a worst-case scenario—will be minimal, I struggle to control anxious vibes. As an athlete, this makes for some rough race mornings, and as someone who works in journalism/publishing/writing, it makes for some pretty stress-y weeks. If you clicked on this, then I’m assuming you know this feeling all-too-well.
So, let’s talk about it!
I’m in one of those moments right now, and have been for a few days. I tried all the old standards: journalling it out, thinking through the worst-case scenario (something we talked about a few episodes ago when it came to not starting or downgrading in a race), and of course, stuck to most of my daily routines around training and overall health.
To be honest, the best solution I found was mulling the situation over during my two long runs on the weekend: The runs helped banish the physical symptoms of anxiety so I could be solution oriented and a bit more clear-headed. (That said, ‘banished’ is a strong term… but a higher heart rate and some unhappy gut vibes are pretty par for the course for me when I’m running, so the reason for them switched, and made my brain feel less fuzzy.)
Now, the irony? The situation that had me so stressed out wasn’t a situation at all—and that tends to be the case about 99% of the time. But I know I tend to sort of skim over how anxious and crappy I was feeling in a moment (or a set of days) once the situation is resolved, the race is over… whatever the case may be! So, what am I doing moving forward? I have a list here that ranges from accepting the current anxious tendencies I have and mitigating the symptoms to trying to dig in and do some (eep) ‘inner work.’
Move your body
On the start line, you can do a warm up or just jump around. I like to shake myself out, like a wet dog. In a work or life-related scenario, use the nervous energy to move. If you can’t leave your house, pushups or a pull up bar are helpful. If you can get out for a ride/walk/run, do that, and maybe toss in a few intervals even if they weren’t on the menu if endurance pace isn’t helping ease your stress.
Journal your worst cases
This is one I think about in work, life, and racing in particular: What’s the worst that could happen? It’s usually less catastrophic than you think, and sometimes, it’s helpful to go to the absolute worst case scenario… But once you do, make sure you also think through what your next step would be when you get there, to feel empowered rather than freaked out. Say you have a meeting your boss scheduled: If you are getting laid off, what would you do first? It helps your confidence level when you show up with a worst case scenario plan.
Reframe as a positive
That old chestnut of ‘if you can’t beat them, join them’? I like to apply it to my feelings: If you can’t get rid of them, see them as a positive. We all have heard that you can change fear to excitement on the start line of a race by just making that slight shift in your head. But if you have an upcoming “check in” meeting with your boss that he scheduled at 4PM yesterday for 2PM today, you’re not going to be able to reframe that nervous anxiety as excitement for the meeting. Let’s be real. But you can reframe it as a chance to experience those pre-race jitters and start line stress—so that when you hit your next start line, you’ve already had a recent experience similar to it… and you can make those butterflies in your gut feel like they’re serving you.
Talk to an expert
I’ll be honest. This most recent situation (that again, ended with a positive outcome!) has really reminded me that I still have my own struggles with anxiety to unpack. It’s easy to forget about them when things are going good and there are only minor hiccups or slight feelings of overwhelm or an overflowing to-do list. Minor daily snags, no problem. Even big issues that aren’t interpersonal, no prob. But put me in any potentially confrontational situation? Hard yikes. So, I’m thinking this is a good thing to unpack with a therapist.
If it’s athletics, repeatability is key
If you’re reading this because of start line / race day anxiety, I don’t think you necessarily need to see a therapist (though it will never hurt!). I do, however, think people like us probably need to get a bit counterintuitive and race more. I historically don’t like to race a lot. In cyclocross, I used to put in super big seasons, of course. But since then, I’ve tended towards a couple races per year, if that. I don’t love doing ‘casual’ races overly much, and tend to just have a couple big goals. That was fine for a while, but I think I was coasting on my tons of start lines from cyclocross racing. It’s been a long time since those days though, and now, I’m realizing I need to be on start lines more regularly in order to get over that pre-race stress. So… back to cyclocross? Maybe!
