Easing Anxiety As You Move Into The Spotlight

Most people admire the calm and collected speaker or performer who can step up to the podium or stage appearing relaxed and self-assured. Interestingly, while many people can appear at ease externally, they may be feeling quite anxious internally. In fact, those who have high levels of anxiousness about speaking or performing are amazed to discover that their nervousness often doesn¡¦t show nearly as much as they thought, and sometimes it doesn¡¦t show at all.

While it can be reassuring to know that one¡¦s symptoms of anxiety are usually not as apparent to others as we feel them on the inside, speaking and performing can still be quite a scary and unsettling experience for many. In fact, for those who have very high levels of performance anxiety, it seems the bigger issue is stepping into the spotlight and having all eyes on you more than a concern about feeling competent about the content one is about to deliver.

While the basic anxiety-busting techniques that you read about may work well for speakers and performers who have a mild to moderate case of the jitters, people who dread speaking or performing often need a deeper and more comprehensive approach to address their inner terror. No matter what level of anxiousness you may have with this challenge, on the continuum from some mild jitters to off-the-chart panic, you can benefit from the holistic approach that I teach.

What follows is a brief overview of a Body, Mind, & Spirit framework for approaching performance anxiety in a more resourceful way:

BODY:
Most people with performance anxiety experience very uncomfortable physical sensations in their bodies that create a feeling of loss of control. There are some things that a person can do to lessen the severity and distress of the physical symptoms so they are less disruptive and more easily managed.

ƒÞ Allow and accept any physical symptoms that arise, knowing these bodily sensations are uncomfortable but they won¡¦t hurt you. Do not get into a struggle with your symptoms, trying to resist them or control them. Fighting your symptoms will just make them worse. Give your body permission to have whatever sensations it has, allowing and accepting what is happening in your body and ¡§riding the wave¡¨ of anxiety when it arises. The
uncomfortable feelings and sensations will begin to pass naturally when you
stop fighting them.

ƒÞ Shift your focus off your discomfort and onto things that can calm you. Once you allow and accept the discomfort within your body it is time to shift your focus onto that which can help calm your body¡¦s stress response. One of the best approaches to quieting the ¡§fight or flight¡¨ response in your nervous system is engaging in a practice of deep, diaphragmatic breathing. A process of slow, steady, rhythmic deep breathing has a powerful calming effect, usually within minutes.

ƒÞ Stay connected to The Present Moment and the present reality as much as possible. When we are anxious and uncomfortable, it tends to lead to self-preoccupation and worry. Instead of focusing attention on your inner discomfort and concern about what the future will hold, consciously bring your attention to what is happening in the here and now reality. The best focus for your attention is on what others are saying or doing - learn to become an attentive listener and observer of others.

MIND:
Fear has a way of distorting reality and making us believe we are less capable than we really are. It is important that we consciously direct our minds to empower us rather than undermine us.

ƒÞ As they say, ¡§Attitude is Everything!¡¨ It is important to challenge any negative attitude we have about speaking or performing and to consciously and deliberately shape our attitude to be more uplifting and empowering. Catch yourself if your inner voice (or your spoken voice) has any hint of whining, complaining, or general negativity and nip this attitude in the bud! Imagine someone who has a confident, self-assured, positive attitude about speaking and performing and model yourself after that person.

ƒÞ Clean Up your language! Right alongside attitude as an important determiner of your experience is the quality of your self-talk. Many people, often unknowingly, engage in self-talk that is self-defeating and undermining of their confidence and ease. It is important that you consciously shape your inner dialogue - as well as the spoken words you use to describe your experience - to be positive, encouraging, and supportive.

ƒÞ Challenge distortions in your perceptions about yourself and your audience. When we are feeling high levels of fear, we tend to believe in our anxious thoughts and feelings as the truth. This often leads us to underestimate what we are truly capable of, to feel intimidated by others and our circumstances, and to generally distort a more objective sense of reality around the speaking or performing event. It is important to not ¡§buy in¡¨ to the fearful feelings and self-doubt and to stay connected to a more objective reality as much as possible.

ƒÞ Stay focused on your true purpose, not on your performance. So often we get derailed from our true purpose in speaking or performing when we are anxious, focusing more on how we are going to measure up and be judged rather than on the message we are trying to communicate or the talent we are trying to share. It is important to take the focus off yourself and remember your true purpose is to share information, inspiration, or entertainment rather than to be scrutinized and judged by others.

SPIRIT:
Fear thrives in the part of us that is referred to as our ¡§lower self¡¨, where we are focused on such ego concerns as how we look and what others think of us. To release fear more fully and access our highest potential, we need to connect with our ¡§higher self¡¨, which is that part of us that is more focused on matters that go beyond ourselves.

ƒÞ Create a deeper human, soul connection with the people in your audience. As you give eye contact to people in your audience, allow yourself to look more deeply at each person and see and appreciate each individual¡¦s humanity. Focus on how you can make a heartfelt and valuable contribution to others¡¦ lives and allow this to take precedence over how you perform or what others think of you.

ƒÞ Cultivate more trust and faith in yourself, others, and in life itself. Anxiety can both fuel, and be fueled by, a need to control and a fear of loss of control. While a certain amount of healthy planning and preparation is wise, it is also wise to let go of an excessive need to be in control and, instead, begin to trust more in ourselves and the process as things unfold.

ƒÞ Nurture your own unique form of self-expression rather than comparing yourself to others or to some ideal standard of how you should be. While it is a valid pursuit to try to become a more effective speaker or performer, it is important that we accept ourselves wherever we are in the process of trying to improve our skills. It is important to not use the speaking platform or stage as a proving ground for your worth and value or to become too attached to having to succeed or measure up. When we have a judgmental mindset, we become overly focused on the ego-concerns of being ¡§good enough¡¨ and we stray from our true purpose, which is to contribute our knowledge, skills, and talents in the service of others.

Embracing a comprehensive mind, body, spirit approach can give you a broad range of tools not only to manage anxiousness about speaking or performing but also to create the kind of mindset that can move you toward expressing your highest potential whenever you are called upon to speak or perform. I invite you to consider which of these methods resonates most with you and keep your focus on applying them as you approach future speaking and performing opportunities!