Anxiety often isn't a brain chemistry issue but a physical stress response. A blood sugar crash or caffeine can trigger a physiological state of emergency, and the mind then invents a psychological narrative (like work stress) to explain the physical sensation.

Instead of only relying on in-the-moment calming techniques, you can proactively increase your overall stress tolerance. Deliberately exposing yourself to heightened alertness in a controlled way, such as through cold showers, trains your nervous system to remain calm during real-life stressful situations.

Attempting to control anxious thoughts with more thoughts ("top-down") is often ineffective. A more efficient strategy is to first regulate your body's physiology through techniques like controlled breathing ("bottom-up"), which then sends safety signals to the brain, making cognitive shifts easier.

The physiological states of anxiety and excitement are nearly identical. Relabeling the feeling by saying "I'm excited" shifts your mindset from threat-based to opportunity-based, improving performance in tasks like public speaking or negotiation.

Sam Harris argues that the most effective way to conquer stage fright isn't mental exercises like mindfulness, but repeatedly engaging in the feared activity. This process, similar to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, retrains the nervous system by demonstrating that the outcome is not catastrophic, thereby desensitizing the fear response.

Ryan Peterman, who became a top engineer at Instagram, initially failed his Facebook interview. The interviewer ended it early, stating he wasn't good enough. This demonstrates that a single, high-stakes interview performance is a poor predictor of long-term career success and resilience.

For high-stakes situations like interviews, your emotional state is more critical than your prepared strategy. Top performers use pre-game routines to get into a peak state. Develop your own pre-interview ritual—involving breath work, music, or visualization—to ensure you show up calm, clear, and confident.

Instead of viewing pre-performance physiological arousal as anxiety, reframe it as excitement or energy. Sam Harris explains that the physical sensations are nearly identical; consciously relabeling them connects the feeling to a positive desire to perform well, rather than a fear of failure.

To shift from anxiety to a peak performance state, use physical mechanisms. A specific technique involves scaled, intense breathing to oxygenate the brain and lower cortisol, followed by Qigong "cupping" to open the body's meridians. This provides a physiological lever for emotional regulation.