By: David-Alan Venable

Successful business is dependent on good nerves and the appropriate handling of stress. Whether you plan on interviewing with an executive or pitching your brand to a large audience, those little butterflies are probably wrestling in your gut at the thought. Take a few of these pointers into consideration next time you need to stay calm under pressure:

Breathe – Just breeeathe. Taking deep, steady breaths does more than replenish the body with oxygen. It triggers a response in the Autonomic Nervous System, which is responsible for involuntary or routine functions (breathing, moving blood, digesting, etc.). Slowing down and controlling your breathing by expanding your diaphragm tricks your body into thinking everything’s just fine — which, in actuality, is probably the case anyways. (Here’s an article that details a method of controlling stress with breathing exercises.)

Alter Your Mindset – Nerves seem to be a burden more than anything, but their benefits can help you out when regulated. Recognizing signs of stress and countering every angle of the emotion with something positive can function the same way on your nervous system as breathing exercises. Meet the fight-or-flight instinct head on and remind yourself of the situation. Gain perspective and channel the adrenaline to your charisma, not that fretting voice in your head.

Prioritize Your Fears – Anxiety and stress are extremely frustrating emotions. At one moment, it’s possible to feel all the negative effects of their presence and still be unable to identify the sources of worry. Examining the things that cause you to stress and rationalizing their outcomes will help alleviate the burden of worry one chunk at a time. The “monster in the closet” tends to be a lot less scary when the lights are turned on, right?

Adrenaline worked wonders for our ancestors as they outran the megafauna of the past. It can help today, too, in many practical situations if managed correctly. Shave off negative habits like procrastination and pessimism if you truly want to succeed at anything you do and prevent stress. Our adrenaline’s here to stay, so you might as well make friends with it.