Ever had a presentation due, and all you could think about is standing up in front of everyone, as all eyes are on you and hoping that you wouldn’t throw up anytime during it? I am sure the answer is yes because performance anxiety is a very common phenomenon, where anxiety in itself is even more common. I have even written an article about overcoming your fears during a presentation, which I talked about the techniques I used to overcome my own fears of presenting in front of a crowd. Sometimes every day life and the stress of every day life, gets to us so much that our body basically just goes into overdrive, where all the chemicals inducing all the feelings associated with anxiety; heart palpitations, increased heart rate, dry mouth, flushed skin, sweaty palms, the feeling of throwing up and suddenly feeling dizzy or light headed, as if you are about to pass out; happens nearly all the time and/or towards very minor situations (like just getting up in the morning), instead of during times it was designed to be activated; fight or flight mode.
We all know that we have two modes of the autonomic nervous system; fight or flight (or freeze as some people are including in this part of the system) and rest-and-digest. Adrenaline and other chemicals like cortisol (a stress hormone), are associated with the fight or flight, and it’s all meant for us to get the hell out of a life threatening situation (e.g: when a big bear is chasing us :p). Nowadays with the hustle and bustle of real life; examinations, finding a job, dealing with people (whether in customer service, medical personnel, etc.,), we are always in the ON position (fight or flight), rather than the OFF position (rest-and-digest). Normally, physiologically, once we have escaped that life threatening situation, our body goes back into the OFF position. It’s this chronic stress that leads to the anxiety we feel every day of our lives, to the extent that it actually becomes a problem rather than the solution it was always meant to be; to save our ass from being eaten by something much bigger and stronger than us!
About 40 million adults in the U.S suffer from anxiety, so it’s very common but because it’s common doesn’t mean it’s a pleasant thing to experience. Not only that but most of us are just looking for a solution to dealing with it.
Talking about anxiety, is something I want to start doing as I myself, suffer from anxiety. There are solutions out there, and every now and then I will provide you guys with proven methods to reducing your anxiety.
For today, I just wanted to share an article that I came across as I tried to comfort myself over my own individual, directed anxiety, over my cannulation procedures I have to start performing starting next week. The article focuses more on performance anxiety, but the fact these celebrities can overcome their anxiety, and be the best they can be, is kind of encouraging.
Check out these well known celebrities who suffer from performance anxiety, nearly every single time they perform, and their take on it.
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