Your heart pounds. Your breath quickens. Excitement or fear?
Your body cannot tell the difference.
After two decades of clinical practice, I’ve watched countless people struggle with anxiety, panic, and overwhelming stress responses. They describe racing hearts, sweaty palms, and that familiar surge of energy coursing through their bodies.
What fascinates me is how identical these descriptions are to people talking about excitement, anticipation, and positive arousal.
The Body Speaks One Language
Fear and excitement trigger nearly identical physiological responses through your hypothalamus. The same chemicals flooding your system during a panic response are present when you feel thrilled, energized, or positively aroused.
Your heart rate spikes. Adrenaline surges. Your breathing changes. Your muscles tense.
The body’s response is remarkably consistent. What changes everything is the story your mind tells about these sensations.
I see this daily in my practice. Two people experience the same physiological arousal. One interprets it as excitement and feels energized. The other labels it as anxiety and feels overwhelmed.
Same body. Different narrative.
The Harvard Discovery
Groundbreaking research by Harvard’s Alison Wood Brooks revealed something remarkable about managing these intense physical sensations.
People who said “I am excited” out loud before challenging situations performed significantly better than those trying to calm down. They adopted what researchers call an “opportunity mindset” rather than a “threat mindset.”
The key insight? Instead of fighting your body’s natural arousal response, you can reframe it.
Your racing heart becomes energy for action. Your heightened alertness becomes focused attention. Your physical activation becomes fuel for performance.
Context Changes Everything
Clinical research shows that context plays a major role in how we experience these intense physical states. When your thinking brain provides feedback that you’re safe, you can quickly shift how you interpret high arousal.
Think about riding a roller coaster versus being in actual danger. The physical sensations are nearly identical. The interpretation transforms the entire experience.
I help people develop this cognitive flexibility in my practice. When someone understands that their panic response and their excitement response are physiologically cousins, they gain power over their emotional experience.
The Microgains Approach to Reframing
Small shifts in interpretation create significant changes over time. I call this the microgains approach to emotional wellbeing.
Start by noticing your physical sensations without immediately labeling them as good or bad. Your heart is beating faster. Your breathing has changed. Your energy has increased.
Before defaulting to “I’m anxious,” pause and ask: “What if this is excitement? What if my body is preparing me for something positive?”
Practice this reframe in low-stakes situations first. Feel nervous before a presentation? Try “I’m energized.” Anxious about a social event? Experiment with “I’m anticipating connection.”
Building Your Reframing Practice
The goal is not to eliminate all fear or anxiety. These responses serve important functions. The goal is developing choice in how you interpret and respond to intense physical arousal.
When you notice your body activating, take three conscious breaths. Label the sensations neutrally: “I notice energy building.” “My system is becoming alert.” “My body is preparing for action.”
Then consciously choose your interpretation. Ask yourself: “How could this energy serve me? What positive outcome might my body be preparing for?”
This practice builds what I call compassionate awareness. You’re not fighting your natural responses or judging them as wrong. You’re developing a more flexible relationship with your own physiology.
The Empowerment Shift
Understanding the connection between fear and excitement returns power to you. Your emotional experience becomes less about what happens to you and more about how you choose to interpret what’s happening.
This knowledge transforms how you approach challenging situations. Instead of trying to eliminate nervousness, you can harness that energy. Instead of seeing anxiety as a problem, you can view it as your body’s way of mobilizing resources.
Your racing heart before a difficult conversation? That’s energy for authentic communication. Your nervous excitement before trying something new? That’s your system preparing for growth.
The physiology remains the same. Your relationship with it changes everything.
When you realize that fear feels like excitement because it essentially is excitement, you unlock a profound tool for emotional resilience. The same body that can feel overwhelmed by anxiety can feel energized by possibility.
The choice, as always, is yours.
