Train Your Brain to Cope with Stress in a Job Search

Train Your Brain to Cope with Stress in a Job SearchTrain Your Brain to Cope with Stress in a Job SearchImagine this Youre standing alone in the spotlight on a stage with dozens, evenhundreds, of people watching you.Theyre there to be amused and youre there to entertain them.Its your job to makescores of perfect strangers laugh.Your heart beats a little faster than normal andsweat pours down your brow. Youre stressed. Very stressed.Butthats OK. Really.Whether its standup comedy orsearching for a job, even thoughit seems counterintuitive, experts agree thatthe right amount of stress can actually be a great tool for lightening the burden.Training your brain to better cope with stress during the job hunt can be as simple as shifting your perception of stress and how it affects you.Here are three ways to train yourbrain to cope with stress during a job search1. Change your understanding of stress.Often viewed as one of lifes greatest angsts, stress can actually be used as an advantage in certain situations. Ian Robertson, author of The Stress Test How Pressure Can Make You Stronger and Sharper, explains that a moderate amount of stress is actually beneficialto the brain. When youre stressed, your bodysecretes the chemical noradrenaline.When there is just the right amount- leid too much, and not too little but just that perfect amount of noradrenaline that the brain releases- we experience what Robertson calls the Goldilocks Zone. When we experience this state, different parts of the brain are able to better communicate with one another and generate new nerven betreffend connections. As this chemical is produced, people experience less depression and anxietyand increased brain functions.For reasons that need not be explained, the aforementioned benefits of noradrenaline are reasonenough tonot freak out at the first sign of stress. With the new understanding that a small amount of stress is good for you, youcan better handle the inevitable highs and lows of searching for a job.2. Fake it till you make it.A racing heart and dry mouth are not onlysymptoms of stress and fear but excitement as well. In this Quartz article on brain tuning, Robertson suggests that if youcan trick your brain into thinking youare actually excited or anticipating a good challenge, then those symptoms of stress can actually work in your favor.Multiple studies have shown that when people are put in stressful situations, such as answering math questions on the spot or singing karaoke in front of strangers, trying to excitethemselves, as opposed to trying to stay relaxed, can cause them toactually perform better.In the case of searching for a job, you can apply the same techniques. Rather than worry yourself over how time-consuming, challenging, and stressful the task at hand may be, take a different approach and accept the challenge with excitement and anticipation.3. Use it or lose it.Robertson suggests embracing stress rather than avoiding it. Similar to the immune syste m, if you dont use your stress response system it will eventually weakenand you will not perform as welland will increaseyour levelof stress. Throughout his research, Robertson has realized that many performers and comedians actually start to get more nervous if they dont feel that anxiety coming on prior to a performance. They have become so accustomed to good stress that in its absence they know that their game is off and their performance will not be up to par.So perhaps that nervous pit you get in your stomach prior to sending submit on that application or while in the waiting room for your next interview is actually a good thing. It could mean youreembracing the challenging situations that life throws at you. Next time you set out to find a new job, consider these points on training your brain.Readers, how has stress affected your job search? Do you have any tips for our members to cope with stress? Share in the comments below