Buzz
Are you feeling like your excitement is getting out of hand? The thrill of anticipating something significant in your life is an incredible experience, whether it’s being asked to a grand dance by someone you admire or landing the job you just applied for. No matter what’s sparking your enthusiasm, there are several effective techniques to help you keep your excitement in check.
Steps
Distract Yourself
Engage in enjoyable activities to shift your focus away from your excitement. Dive into a challenging video game. Play fetch with your dog. Go for a bike ride with your sibling. Watch funny videos on YouTube. Spend hours binge-watching a new series on Netflix. Simply indulge in your favorite pastimes.
- Channeling your excitement into positive and fun behaviors can be highly effective in calming you down and diverting your thoughts from what’s making you eager.
- Research shows that individuals who don’t regularly engage in enjoyable activities are more prone to criminal behavior, obesity, and a loss of creativity. Even if you’re not seeking a distraction, you should treat your leisure time as seriously as your work hours.
Channel your creativity to distract yourself. There are countless ways to divert your attention, both healthy and unhealthy. Using your excitement for creative purposes is a productive and wholesome way to spend your time.
- The options for creativity are endless. You could take a pottery class. Write a short story, poem, or song. Paint a picture. Grab your camera and capture interesting photos of everyday objects around your home.
- Art allows you to release or redirect anxious energy. Some people struggle to express their excitement in words, but engaging in an artistic activity provides a medium to materialize your feelings.
Tackle household chores. Take the opportunity to temporarily forget your excitement by diving into housework. Head home, make a list of tasks or errands that need completing, and start checking them off.
- Rake leaves, mow the lawn, wash the car, do laundry, dust ceiling fans—just keep yourself busy so you don’t get lost in your excitement.
- Household chores might not be at the top of your list of distractions. They’re not exactly fun. However, extensive research has been conducted on the benefits of chores. Studies show that teenagers who do chores tend to have a stronger sense of responsibility, higher self-esteem, and better coping skills for frustration.
Spread your enthusiasm through volunteering. When we’re in a good mood, we have the power to uplift those around us. Use your excess energy to positively impact someone else’s life.
- People often unconsciously mimic the moods of others. Share your positive energy by reading books or crafting with seniors at a nursing home, patients at a hospital, or children in a support group. They’ll benefit from your cheerful mood, and you’ll find a constructive way to release your excitement.
Give yourself a small taste of what’s exciting you. Sometimes, the best way to release excess energy is to engage in what’s making you excited. If you’re thrilled about a new job or an upcoming vacation, you can’t speed up time to make the big day arrive sooner. But you can take a few steps.
- For example, if you’re excited about starting a new job, channel that energy by preparing for it. Research your role online to learn more about it. Go shopping for work-appropriate attire.
- If an upcoming vacation is fueling your excitement, start planning ahead. Begin drafting a travel itinerary or jot down activities in your travel journal. Look up information about your destination online. Or create a packing list of essentials you’ll need before you depart.
Practice self-soothing techniques
Practice deep breathing to soothe your emotions. Deep breathing is a highly effective method to regain focus and calm yourself. This exercise activates your body’s natural relaxation response. You can perform it while sitting, standing, or lying down.
- Begin by breathing normally. Then, inhale deeply through your nose for a count of 4. Hold your breath for 2 counts. Exhale slowly through your mouth for 4 counts. Repeat this exercise for a few minutes to promote calmness.
- You can also incorporate a mantra into your breathing. Continuously repeat a phrase like "I am calm" as you breathe.
Meditate to manage your excitement. Mindfulness meditation can help you calm down and counteract overwhelming enthusiasm. You might think meditation sounds boring or that you can’t sit still with your excitement. For beginners, meditation can be a bit challenging, but it offers numerous benefits. It reduces stress, enhances focus, improves awareness of daily activities, and minimizes distracting thoughts.
- Sit comfortably on a chair or cushion. Breathe deeply and slowly. Focus on the present moment by paying attention to the sensations around you.
- As you breathe, notice the sounds you hear, the feel of your body on the chair, or focus on a spot on the wall in front of you. If your mind wanders, gently redirect your focus.
Visualize yourself in a calm and relaxed state. Visualization requires you to focus on a peaceful setting to help yourself settle down. Like other techniques, visualization isn’t just about relaxation. It also boosts motivation, enhances performance, increases confidence, and prepares your mind for success. Here’s how to do it:
- Sit comfortably in a quiet room. Take deep breaths. Close your eyes and imagine a serene place. It could be real or imaginary, like a beautiful beach or a tranquil stream.
- Use your senses to perceive the smells, tastes, sounds, and physical sensations associated with that place.
- You can also listen to a guided visualization exercise. These are easily found on YouTube or downloadable from health and stress management websites.
Burn off excess energy
Exercise to burn anxious energy and calm yourself. Even joyful excitement can cause mental and physical strain. Engage in a physical activity that combines mind and body while promoting calmness afterward. If you’re overly excited, exercise can help you burn off excess enthusiasm and relax.
- Try walking or jogging for about 20 minutes. This may seem short, but you don’t need excessive exercise to reduce stress.
- Combat racing thoughts with high-intensity activities like sports, HIIT workouts, or power yoga.
Step outside and enjoy fresh air to shift your perspective. Staying indoors makes it harder to stop thinking about what’s exciting you. Pause what you’re doing and head outdoors.
- Spending time outside genuinely boosts happiness. Science shows that even brief exposure to nature reduces feelings of depression, improves life outlook, strengthens immunity, and enhances focus (something you’ll likely need right now).
- You can go out alone or invite a friend to join you for added distraction. Take a walk in the park or play catch in your backyard.
Listen to music and dance. You can play calming music to soothe your excitement while doing other tasks. Or, turn on an upbeat song and dance. Jump, clap, cheer, or move to the rhythm.
- Moving your body through dancing releases endorphins, the feel-good chemicals you get from exercising.
- This method also helps counter excessive excitement by tiring you out. After a fun dance session, you might just want to take a nap.
Tips
- Avoid caffeine before bedtime.
- Try channeling your energy into productive tasks that benefit your family, friends, neighbors, school, etc.
- Relax! Take a hot bath with candles or spend time petting your animal companion if you have one.
Warnings
- Don’t let your excitement spiral out of control to the point where it undermines or harms the very thing that initially thrilled you.
