Dealing with panic

Lots of people experience paralyzing fear or panic when they are faced with high pressure situations, or what they perceive as high stress situations. The problem is that they freeze up in exactly the situation when they should be most responsive and need to react effectively and efficiently, like during exams.
I find the following to be effective in dealing with this problem: imagine, using all your senses, what you would experience firsthand after successfully dealing with the situation at hand. Normally this is enough, but in some cases it can be necessary to downplay the seriousness of any potential negative outcome that may be triggering the panic. This is done by facing it head on. Think of the negative outcome as if it is happening on a movie screen and you are in the audience. See the repercussions playing out on the screen and how they are dealt with successfully and in a satisfactory way. The negative outcome may even lead to better opportunity. This will minimise anxiety and the positive imagining will motivate.

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