Do you need to modulate your anxiety up or modulate it down?

“My anxiety doesn’t come from thinking about the future but from wanting to control it.”— Hugh Prathe [Coach Tony]( Coach Tony [@tonystubblebine]( “My anxiety doesn’t come from thinking about the future but from wanting to control it.”— Hugh Prather — ⚖️ A mentor coach told me that a core job of a coach is to modulate a person’s anxiety. Sometimes they need less, in order to feel better and think more broadly. Sometimes they need more, in order to prompt action and urgency. — 🤣 Here’s a [short interview]( with the championship basketball coach, Steve Kerr. Steve is talking about how he builds joy into his coaching and practices. It’s intentional and strategic. — 🧊 Here’s the thing about ambitious people, and that probably includes most of the readers of this newsletter: you often have too much urgency and it’s creating anxiety. I find it’s pretty rare as a coach that I see a need to modulate someone’s anxiety up. — 🌊 I don’t see the word modulate very many places. I started using it after a deep dive into Flow states. You reach flow when the challenge of the task and your skill level are in balance. So if you want to manufacture a flow state you need to modulate the challenge of the task. If a task looks boring, turn it into a game. That’s a form of modulating. I often open a stopwatch and turn a boring task into a game of speed. If a task looks too hard, I choose a simplified version. For example, writers write multiple drafts. The crummy first draft is an example of modulating the challenge down. — 👔 [The Manager’s Guide to Cultivating Flow at Work]( by [Kate Jones]( For flow to occur, the overarching purpose of an activity must be crystal clear. The job of a leader is to connect the dots; to link every process, rule, and task to a common organizational goal so employees feel engaged. — 💪 I can help you achieve your goals, here’s how: - [A positive reinforcement habit tracker iPhone app](. It’s free and it’ll help you build great new habits. - Get a coach on the [Coach.me coaching directory](. - Read how to improve your own life, your productivity, your leadership, your health. This is all at [Better Humans](. - If you are an entrepreneur or have a side project or are looking to build financial independence, read [Better Marketing](. Don’t miss out on the other issues by Coach Tony [Become a member for $10 per month]( Did you enjoy this issue? [Yes]( [No]( [Coach Tony]( Coach Tony [@tonystubblebine]( Human potential busy body. Founded @coachdotme, @bttrHumans, @bttrMarketing. Helped @medium, @calm. You can manage your subscription [here](. If you don't want these updates anymore, please unsubscribe [here](. If you were forwarded this newsletter and you like it, you can subscribe [here](. Created with [Revue by Twitter](.