If you’re feeling anxious before a big moment, don’t calm down.

If you feel anxious or excited before that test, interview or performance – go with it. 

It turns out that trying to calm yourself down can actually hurt your performance. That’s because we tend to think of what could go wrong when trying to calm down, in an attempt to eliminate fear. 

In a Harvard Business School experiment, participants who told themselves “I am excited” delivered more persuasive speeches than those who told themselves to calm down before the presentation. If we acknowledge the butterflies and admit we’re nervous or excited, we’re more likely to focus on what needs go right. We can tap into the fight rather than flight and better tackle the task at hand.