On a crisp fall morning, two golfers—one at Augusta National and the other at Pebble Beach—approach the first tee at exactly the same time. Though separated by hundreds of miles, their bodies respond in identical ways—rapid breathing, stomach butterflies, fast beating hearts, sweaty palms, and tense muscles.
One appraises this bodily experience as anxiety, a signal that he is unsure, insecure, and certain to fail. The other defines this physical experience as a sign of excitement, readiness, and the thrill of competition.
Appraisal theory suggests that your interpretation of a sensation (physical, cognitive, or emotional) shapes your experience. The fast beating heart could be a signal impending doom, but it also could be a result of excitement and readiness. When the “false alarm” of performance anxiety blares, reappraisal or redefinition is the key-pad code that silences the noise. As the Stoics preached, it is not the events themselves, but our judgment of them that shapes emotion.
So, the next time you tee it up, step on stage or approach the podium, remember that your fast beating heart, shallow breathing, and muscle tension don’t need to mean you are afraid. They can mean you are prepared and excited to seize the opportunity in front of you.