How to Manage Your Excitement

Co-authored by Kari Samuels

Last Updated: March 6, 2023 References Approved

Are you beside yourself with excitement? It can be wonderful to feel excited about something happening in your life, whether it's being invited to a big dance by your crush or getting hired for that job you've recently applied for. Whatever has got you so wound up, learn some helpful things you can do to manage your excitement.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Distracting Yourself from Excitement

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Have fun to take your mind off excitement. Immerse yourself in a challenging video game. Throw a ball to your dog. Go on a bike ride with your younger sibling(s). Watch a whole bunch of funny YouTube videos. Binge-watch that new show on Netflix. Just have some good old-fashioned fun.
- Channeling your excitement into a positive and fun behavior can be effective at calming you down and distracting you from what's got you all wound up.
- Those who do not have fun often are actually more likely to experience criminality, obesity, and loss of creativity, researchers say.^{[1]
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  Research source} Even during times when you are not just looking for a distraction, you should take your playtime just as seriously as you do work time.
2
Get artistic as a way to distract yourself from what's exciting you. There are a wide range of ways to distract yourself, both healthy and not.^{[2]
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Research source} Using your excitement for a creative purpose is a productive and healthy way to spend your time.
- Your options for being creative are a basically infinite. You could take a pottery class. Write a short story, poem or song. Draw. Buy a box of crayons and a coloring book of your choice. Paint a picture of your house. Grab your camera and try to take interesting shots of common household items.
- Art allows you to release or channel the nervous energy in your body. Some people have a hard time verbally expressing excitement, but making art gives you a vehicle to reproduce those feelings in physical form.
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3
Complete some chores. Take the opportunity to momentarily forget what's making you so excited by getting your hands dirty and moving. Go home and make a list of household chores or errands that need completing, and get started on them.
- Rake leaves, mow the lawn, wash the car, do the laundry, dust the ceiling fans -- just keep yourself busy and moving so as to not get caught back up in your excitement.
- Chores probably don't rank high on your list of distracting things to do. They're not all that fun. Still, much research has been conducted on the benefits of chores. Studies have found that adolescents who perform a set of chores tend to have a higher sense of responsibility, healthier self-esteem, and are more capable of handling frustration.^{[3]
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4
Make your excitement contagious by volunteering. When we are in a good mood, we have the power to lift the moods of those around us. You can use your extra energy to be a positive influence in someone else's life.
- People have a tendency to unconsciously imitate the moods of those around them.^{[4]
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  Research source} Therefore, you can share your positive energy by reading or doing crafts with residents in a nursing home, patients in the hospital, or with children in a mentoring group. They will get the benefit of your bright mood, and you will have a positive method for releasing the excitement.
5
Give yourself a taste of what's exciting you. Sometimes, the best way to release extra energy is to go do the thing that's got us all wound up. If you're excited about a new job or a vacation, you can't speed up time so the big day arrives faster. But, there are some things you can do.
- For example, if you are excited about starting a new job, you can get help yourself get through the excitement by getting prepared. You can research the position online to learn more about it. You can also go shopping to pick up clothing items to suit your new position.
- If a future vacation has you reeling with excitement, you can prep for that, too. Start making travel plans or mapping out different activities on your itinerary. You can perform a cursory Google search to learn more about the location. You can also make lists of items you will need before you depart.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Practicing Calming Techniques

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Take deep breaths to help calm your emotions. Deep breathing can be an effective way to center and calm yourself. This exercise helps you to bring on your body's natural relaxation response. You can complete this exercise sitting, standing, or lying down.
- Start by breathing naturally. Then, inhale air deeply through your nose for 4 counts. Hold the breath for about 2 counts. Then, release the air from your mouth for 4 counts. Repeat this exercise for several minutes to promote calm.^{[5]
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- Focus on the actual physical act of breathing. Feel the air come into your lungs and your rib cage expand.
- You can also add a mantra to your breathing activity. Try thinking to yourself something like "I am the picture of calm" over and over again as you breathe.
2
Meditate to consciously bring your excitement under control. Mindful meditation can help you calm your mind and counteract over-excitement. You may think meditation sounds boring or that it will be impossible to sit still with all your excitement. Meditation can be a little challenging for beginners, but the benefits are widespread. Practicing this activity can reduce your stress, enhance your ability to focus, improve your mindfulness in daily activities, and minimize mental chatter that keeps you from being productive.^{[6]
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- Sit comfortably in a chair or on a cushion. Breathe slowly and deeply. Orient yourself to the present moment by focusing your attention on different sensations in the environment around you.^{[7]
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- As you breathe, consider the sounds you hear, how your body feels on the chair, or focus a space on the wall ahead of you. Don't try to get rid of thoughts; as your attention wanders, simply let them go and redirect it to your focus point.
3
Visualize yourself in a calm or relaxed state. Visualization requires that you focus your attention on a relaxing place to bring about calm. Like many of these calming techniques, the good thing about visualization is that its benefits don't stop at relaxation. This mental practice can also improve your sense of motivation, enhance physical performance, boost self-confidence, and gear your brain up for success.^{[9]
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Research source} Here's how to do it:
- Sit comfortably in a quiet room. Inhale and exhale deeply. Close your eyes and think of a calming place. This can be a real place or an imaginary place like an exotic beach or a peaceful brook.
- Activate your senses to notice the smells, tastes, sounds, and physical touch associated with your calming place.^{[10]
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  HelpGuide
  Nonprofit organization dedicated to providing free, evidence-based mental health and wellness resources.
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- You can also listen to guided visualization exercises where a speaker walks you through the imagery steps. It's quite simple to search for visualization exercises on YouTube or download them from health or stress management website.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Burning off Surplus Energy

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Exercise to burn off nervous energy and calm yourself. Even a happy excitement can cause mental and physical stress. Engaging in some sort of physical activity engages both the mind and body while producing a calming state afterwards. If you are overly excited, working out may help you to burn off the extra excitement and relax you.
- Try going for a walk or a run for about 20 minutes. This may seem like a short amount of time, but not much exercise is required to alleviate stress.^{[12]
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  Harvard Medical School
  Harvard Medical School's Educational Site for the Public
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- You can combat extreme mental chatter by doing a more intensive workout, such as playing sports, engaging in a high-intensity interval training, or doing power yoga.
2
Go outside and get some fresh air to change your perspective. Being cooped up inside will make it hard for you to get your mind off what's got you excited. Take a break from what you're doing and get out in nature.
- Spending time outdoors actually just makes humans happier. Science reveals that even short nature walks can reduce depressive feelings, boost your outlook on life, improve your body's ability to fend off illness, and enhance focus (which you could definitely use right now).^{[13]
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- You can opt to go outside alone or invite a friend for an even better distraction-booster. The two of you can go for a walk in the park or toss a ball around in your backyard.
3
Listen to music and dance about what's exciting you.^{[14]
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Research source} You can listen to soothing music to ease your excitement as you perform some other task. Or, you can turn on something fun and get on your feet. Jump, clap, shout or dance.
- Getting your body moving by dancing to some music will generate those feel-good endorphins that come with exercise.
- But, you will also benefit by tiring yourself out physically to fight the over-excitement. Maybe after a fun dance session, you might want to take a short nap.

Warnings

Don't let your excitement get so out of hand that it negates or harms whatever it is that got you excited in the first place.

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