What to Do Before Meeting Your Boss

<p>Experiencing a little anxiety before or during a one-on-one meeting with your boss is utterly normal. After all, this is one of the most important work meetings. If you aren't at least a bit worried about what might happen, you probably aren't paying the meeting the attention it deserves.</p> <p>Feeling a bit of pressure is a good thing if you can use it to positively motivate you to do better. But if you start to feel overwhelmed and the pressure makes you perform worse — or, worse still, makes you avoid one-on-ones — then your anxiety could have a negative effect on your performance. So what can you do beforehand? Here are some ideas.</p> <h3>Take a deep breath</h3> <p>Take two or three quiet minutes with your eyes closed, seated in a chair, and focus on your breath. Take a deep breath, and then take twice as long to exhale. The lengthened exhale is key to calming your heart rate, and thus your nerves.</p> <h3>Feel your feet on the ground</h3> <p>Focus on your toes: scrunch them up, then release. Whether standing or sitting, wiggle your toes and feel the weight of your feet on the ground (keep your knees soft if standing).</p> <h3>Focus on your strengths</h3> <p>Sit on a chair, take a deep breath, then exhale slowly to calm yourself. Now focus on your strengths — what are you good at? Think about that and recall an earlier achievement. That will boost your confidence.</p> <h3>Positive self-talk</h3> <p>Take a seat and breathe deeply, then close your eyes. Make your mind believe that you can do it. Say it aloud so you can hear it — say "I can do it" as loudly as you can hear, repeating it 8 to 10 times. That will reduce your anxiety.</p>