Job Interviewing with Anxiety - My Helpful Tips & Tricks

Heya! Well it has been a very eventful week here and I am just sort of beginning to wrap my brain around it all. Without getting into detail, I will be (and already have been) interviewing for possible job positions in some great businesses. Now I won't be saying what they are but I am extremely hopeful and can't wait to see what comes of them.
However, I know all too well how anxiety-inducing interviewing can be. Especially if it is a higher level position than a typical retail or restaurant job. Not that I am an expert in any way, shape or form, but I am learning different things that have helped me get through them.
I can get horrible social anxiety in situations that I feel are out of my control and one of the most important tasks for me is realizing that interviews ARE in your control. Here is my typical routine before any interview:

1. Be Prepaaaarrreeeddd (Lion King reference lol)
This tip will come up on pretty much any google search of "how to prepare for job interviews" but it means something different from my perspective. When setting up dates for an interview I always set it for a time in the early morning. Why you may ask? because then I'm not sitting around panicking all day long and psyching my self out. Once the interview is set (hopefully with at least three days of mental preparation) I start rehearsing. I will literally stand in front of a mirror and answer questions that you can find online.
At first it is awkward to try to come up with what makes you so wonderful right off the top of your head. And that's okay! That's why you are practicing now. And really take this time for some inward reflection as well. Don't say "I have no hobbies" or "Strengths? Who me?" (two thoughts I have literally had on multiple occasions). And I don't lie and say "My hobbies include making media strategies in my mind" because they know that ain't the truth. Just be yourself!

2. Talk It Out
Whether it's with friends, family, a roommate, a random stranger at Starbucks, tell someone about your nerves. 9/10 times they know exactly how you are feeling (or at least to some degree) and may have helpful hints that they themselves have learned from their previous experiences.
I will literally call up anyone I can beforehand and ask for advice or just vent about how the process is making me feel. They will always be supportive of you.

3. Walk it Out
Exercise can be such a great stress relief, especially with anxiety. I, my friends, am not in great shape so if I go out for a run chances are I am thinking too much about my collapsed lung than my job interview. Or go take a class, just get your mind away from things and sweat it out! Before one of my big interviews last year I took a Zumba class the night before. It was EXHAUSTING and completely hilarious (um 6'2'' Sam out dancing like a mad woman? A very high form of comedic release). That night I slept like a baby and the next day just kept that same mentality and was completely relaxed.

4. Go to Bed!
I am definitely a self-proclaimed insomniac ESPECIALLY if I'm nervous about an event the next day. So what do I do? Be home by 7 and start to wind down, put on some relaxing music, fill up a warm bath tub and sink in. After that do your whole bed time routine, pop a melatonin in (a natural sleep aid) and hop right into bed. Oh it's only 8:30? tough cookies, get in bed. Grab your interviewing notes and skim over them. Don't do practice runs, just browse over the notes you've made and put them away. Light a candle (or if you are like me, incense) and lower the lights. Close your eyes and vision yourself doing amazing at the interview. See them shaking hands with you, throwing cash at you as you walk out the door, starting a parade in your honor for greatest interview ever, whatever makes you happy! Keep your eyes closed no matter how awake your brain is, keep. them. closed. And don't get mad at yourself for not falling asleep just stay relaxed and keep envisioning success.

5. Know Your Worth
So you are all ready for the interview, nice and well dressed, arrived 10 minutes early, said your hello's and they ask you the first question... you draw a blank. Hey guess what, it happened to me. They said "tell me about yourself" and boom darkness. Don't let this get the better of you! Instead take a deep breath, smile, and continue on with the next question. You are an amazing person with incredible skills and knowledge... LET THAT SHINE THROUGH! Don't be intimidated by a professional because they were in the exact same spot at some point in your career.
And even if the interview was horrible and you know you won't be getting the position, don't lose that sense of how great you are. There will be other interviews and opportunities that will be exactly right for you.

So onward and upward my friends! Let me know if you have any tips/tricks that help you get through interviews :) xoxo Sam