Nervousness is a normal reaction in cases of a stressful situation. Some people may get out of control and feel overwhelmed by nervousness. They might feel scared, terrified, intimidated, with a blank mind and shaky hands. Catching a breath might be difficult too. The excess nervousness can make people under-behaved or embarrassed in the public. In order to combat nervousness, you should know its causes.
What Causes Nervousness?
It is quite normal to feel nervous when there are unknown and intimidating circumstances, like a date, job interview, a doctor’s appointment, meeting strangers, making public speaking, etc. Negative and bad experiences in life, as well as insecurity, can lead to nervousness too.
While most people are more likely to get nervous over certain life situations, some people can even have an underlying health condition that heightens nervousness like hyperthyroidism, hyperactivity, anxiety disorders, ADHD, etc. Caffeine, some prescription medications and illicit drugs are also known to cause nervousness.
Nervousness is not common just among adults. Children can have nervousness problems too. In cases when a child has to deal with a lot of changes in his/her life, it is normal to be anxious and feel nervous. Common reasons include a change of school, parental pressure, parent’s divorce, troubles at school, etc. Nervousness is manifested differently in children. Some might have a loss of appetite, feel restless, become exhausted very easily, become irritated very easily, be distracted or even uninterested in activities, etc.
Once the real cause of the problem is known, dealing with nervousness and its symptoms is quite easy.
What Are the Symptoms of Nervousness?
Now you have known "what causes nervousness?" Then what are its signs and symptoms? Once in stress, the human body starts to produce and release stress hormones in the blood from the adrenal glands, leading to the following symptoms:
- Stress
- Fear of losing control
- Insecurity
- Irritation
- Heart palpitations
- Shortness of breath
- Sweaty hands
- A choking sensation
- Confusion
- Dry mouth
- Dizziness
- Faster heartbeat
- Fatigue
- Insomnia
- Trembling
- Chest pain
- Abdominal pain
- Nausea
- Distraction
- Difficulty in performing daily tasks and activities normally
How to Overcome Nervousness
What causes nervousness and how to overcome it? If your nervousness is interfering with the quality of your life, seek professional treatments to get over it. But, if you are looking for some tips and tricks you can do on your own at home, then here are some of them:
1. Exercise Regularly
Physical exercise should be a part of your life, not just when dealing with nervousness. Regular exercise is more than staying fit and healthy. It also allows you to reduce the levels of stress and nervousness by increasing the production of neurotransmitters and burning stress hormones at the same time. The tired muscles can also make you feel less anxious in mind.
2. Try Desensitization
If you are a type of person who gets nervous in specific situations, desensitization might work for you. Desensitization is a way of reducing the amount of stress and nervousness in specific situations gradually, until the activity itself doesn’t cause anxiety and stress anymore. For example, you can adjust yourself to get used to embarrassment and rejection.
3. Write a Journal
Thought suppression might be causing your nervousness. One good way to keep your thoughts clear is by writing a journal. First, you need to get to know your thoughts and accept them. Then write them out in a permanent place so that your mind will not focus on them any more.
4. Get Enough Sleep
What causes nervousness? If you are not getting enough sleep as you should, it is normal to feel tired, anxious and nervous. You might also not be able to perform daily tasks. Try getting enough sleep and maybe this will solve your nervousness problem.
5. Don’t Forget to Eat Carbs and Proteins
A healthy diet is important when dealing with nervousness. Eat more carbs as they release serotonin in the brain. Examples are pasta, potato, bread and rice. Eat foods rich in protein, like tuna, salmon, chicken, etc. Mushrooms, yellow corn, spinach and even bell peppers are vegetables recommended to deal with nervousness. Instead of snacking chocolate, try sunflower seeds as they are rich in thiamine. Avoid caffeine as it will just make you feel even more nervous.
6. Get Yourself Busy
Immediately after getting up, try to get busy and stay busy for the rest of the day. In this way, you will not have time to deal with your thoughts and get taken by them. Keep in mind that nervousness is something that tends to develop over a certain amount of time; it does not occur immediately. Get yourself busy and don’t let your nervousness time to grow.