anxiety can bring out the Best

How do you conquer phobia? Dr. Lowenstein had asked. By facing the phobia.
You’ve got chronic shyness with whiffs of paranoia? Get out there and interact with
the public. 

She wondered when a patient came to Lowenstein with a fear of heights
if his solution was a fast leap off the Brooklyn Bridge.
Had he listened when she’d assured him she was positive she had social anxiety
disorder? Perhaps agoraphobia combined with claustrophobia?
No, he had not. He’d insisted she was merely shy, and had suggested she leave the
psychiatric evaluations and diagnoses to him.
As her stomach churned when the first members of the audience walked up for a
word and a signature, she wished she could face Dr. Lowenstein right this minute. So
she could punch him.

Three Fates

______________

Actually, a little anxiety may be just what you need to focus your efforts and perform at your peak, psychologists say. 

Somewhere between checked out and freaked out lies an anxiety sweet spot, some researchers say, in which a person is motivated to succeed yet not so anxious that performance takes a dive. This moderate amount of anxiety keeps people on their toes, enables them to juggle multiple tasks and puts them on high alert for potential problems.

WSJ

__________________________

She trailed off,
flushing a bit when she realized everyone was looking at her.
"No." Malachi watched her. "Go on. Finish it out."
"All right." She steadied herself as she’d learned to do before a public lecture.

Three Fates