Finding Your Optimal Anxiety Level: Why Calm Isn’t Always Better

Even from a young age, I was always confused by the relationship between nerves and performance. There were times, for instance, when I’d be nervous and sound pretty terrible. But then there were other times when I’d be nervous and play better than ever. And then there were times when I’d be calm and sound very uninspired and mediocre. It all felt like a crapshoot, and none of it ever made sense. Like, why were nerves sometimes helpful and sometimes not helpful? Should I be trying harder to c...