Nerves are a part of life, but we can’t let them cloud our judgment and give us false anxiety. With upcoming sports tryouts, scheduling, and the stresses of school upon us, it is a very demanding time full of nerves. Though we all have them, that doesn’t mean we need to let them control us, there are many ways to minimize nerves and have yourself feeling great.

Although we feel nervous, and sometimes even sick to our stomachs, something that we are unaware of is that those feelings that be controlled. We are never truly nervous about the event, we are nervous that the event will not go in our favor. It’s all about the mentality. If we think negative thoughts, then we are releasing negative energy into the universe and setting ourselves up for negative things to occur. The solution? Think positive thoughts.

If you’re trying out for a sport, be confident going into the tryout that you are going to give all that you have, and no matter what the outcome, you know you did everything that you could. If you are giving a speech in front of your class, go into it thinking “I am prepared, I am ready and I have this.” By doing this, you are giving yourself a pep talk while boosting your confidence.

It’s all about confidence. If you conduct yourself with confidence and pride, that is how others will perceive you. But never be too confident. Don’t go into a tryout knowing that you are going to make it, don’t go into a test knowing that you’ll ace it. Confidence is key, but don’t overdo it.

Although there are ways to limit your nervousness, that doesn’t mean that all nerves are bad. There are good nerves that make you push yourself harder and do the best that you possibly can. These nervous give you the edge. The edge that allows you to push through and stay strong, even if you make an error; the edge that makes you want to be better and strive for big things. This edge wouldn’t be achieved without a few nerves.

Think about it, if you really want something, such as getting an A on a big test, or making a sports team, you should be a little nervous. Nerves are the feelings you experience when your fate is unknown, you want to get that A and you want to make that team, but it’s not guaranteed but these nerves are pushing you to be the best you that you can possibly be. But you should never let those nerves take precedence over what you really want.

The best way to get over nerves is by thinking positive thoughts. But it doesn’t end there. Imagine yourself giving a great speech, imagine yourself holding that test with a big A on the front and imagine yourself making that team. This is the power of visualization. If you see yourself doing something, you are more inclined to push yourself harder to achieve that goal.

So the next time that you are nervous, and may even be trying to talk yourself out of something great, take a deep breath, think positive thoughts and control your nerves! You have all of the power to do what you want, don’t let silly nerves get in your way of being and achieving greatness. Believe in yourself, you can do this.