5 Tips to Conquer Your Nerves

Most people get the first date jitters. They get really, really nervous before first dates that they actually dread going on them. It’s something normal. We’ve all been there. 

Now, let me tell you about one of my good friends, Mark. He saw this beautiful woman standing right in front of him at the coffee shop and, getting over his anxiety, he made the first move and said ‘Hi’!’ As they chatted, Mark was attracted to her chocolate-brown long hair, green eyes, and charming personality. He wanted to see her again, so he asked her on a first date. In the hours before the date, he got restless and started to feel these huge knots in his stomach. He even called me to ask me if he should cancel the date.

Does this sound familiar? Have you ever felt this nervous while dating, or when asking for a number? Well, here are some tips for calming your nerves and getting over the jitters.

1. Be Happy!

One way to take away the pressure of a date is for you to see your jitters as excitement rather than nervousness. This will reduce and calm down your nerves.

You have to feel happy because something good is going to happen on your date. This way of thinking can help you relax. One thing that helps me is listening to music.  I’m usually jamming to one of my favorite songs right before I go into any event that I may feel nervous about. This helps to relax and get pumped up so I can handle just about anything. 

2. Tilt your Chin Up and Breathe

By standing up straight, tilting your head back, and taking a deep breath you can change your physiology.  By taking a deep diaphragm breath, this puts you in an alpha or high energy stage and you literally can’t access a negative emotion at this point.  It’s really a neat thing we can easily do for ourselves.

What happens is your prefrontal cortex is activated and dampens down the amygdala, which is the fight or flight mechanism.  It actually activates the nucleus accumbens, which is the reward center of the brain. You’ll feel good and get the endorphins running. 

3. Stop The Negative Self-talk

Replace that negative self talk with positivity.  If you find yourself in doubt and someone in the back of your mind is putting you down, it’s time to put an end to it once and for all.  Replace those words with positive affirmations. Of course, your date is interested in you. If they weren’t, they wouldn’t agree to the date in the first place.  Say to yourself things such as, “I’m a great person. I am good looking. I’m smart and interesting. This person will be lucky if I want to see them again.”  

4. Meditate

Meditation is known for reducing stress and calming down your nerves. If you want to start thinking more clearly about the realistic situations you’re in and calm down your nerves, you should consider practicing daily meditation. You will feel the effects almost immediately.  If you’re not sure how, then recite a poem, a song, or a prayer. This will help to slow your heart rate and keep you calm.

5. Focus On The Present

We all know that, no matter how much we want to, what happened in the past can’t be changed. Do not get stuck in the past. Whatever negativity you have in your memory from the past needs to stay there.  You can be whoever you want starting right now. You can start over anytime and the only thing that you can change is the present.

By focusing on the present your nerves will start to calm down. Try to focus on listening and responding to your date, and keep up with the conversation. This will help you to not worry so much about your jitters.

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