on February 26, 2018
I’m honored to be heading to the Microsoft MVP Summit. I really enjoy this conference– it’s not my first time going, so I know the ropes. I’m looking forward to seeing a bunch of old friends AND to connect to lots and lots of new people.
But even though I am familiar with the conference, I have a list of things I do to get ready and prepare. That’s because…
Conferences tend to make me socially anxious
While I LOVE meeting new people, I can get pretty nervous about it.
I also often have a hard time sleeping when I travel, especially on the first few nights of the trip. If I don’t take care, I can end up “replaying” a lot of conversations in my head, analyzing whether or not I may have accidentally said the wrong thing or misunderstood someone.
If I fall into that trap, then the lack of sleep tends to build my anxiety the next day and… you can see the spiral of anxiety forming, right?
But I’m happy to say that it doesn’t have to be this way!
Habits and preparation help me have a great time at conferences
I talked about this a bit on a podcast episode a while back: I’ve learned to understand my anxiety better.
I’ve also learned simple, practical things that I can do to help me relax more fully, sleep better, feel calmer and more optimistic in social situations, and how to get myself in the right mindset to be successful at a big social event, like a conference.
I’m not a doctor, and I’m still evolving
I just evolved a little by making this infographic. Wow, that was really fun! So lookout, there’s about to be a lot more infographics around here, like it’s 2015 all over again ;)
Everyone has different needs, and my methods won’t magically cure everyone’s anxiety. This infographic certainly isn’t medical advice.
But I hope that the infographic inspires you - either to try some of these techniques yourself, or to try your own ideas to help bring more balance, optimism, and calm into your busy, conference-going life.