Overcoming Fear of Public Speaking and Anxiety Attacks
Have you tried various methods in helping you with overcoming fear of public speaking and anxiety attacks. It is often observed that many people’s top ranking fear is not death but having to speak in public. The joke is that these people would rather be lying in the casket at a funeral than giving the eulogy. Overcoming fear of public speaking for people who suffer from anxiety attacks or one of the many general anxiety disorders often becomes a major source of worry weeks or even months before the speaking event is to occur.
These speaking engagements do not necessarily have to be the traditional “on a podium” events but can be as simple as an office meeting where the individual is expected to express an opinion or give verbal feedback. The fear of public speaking and anxiety attacks in this case centers on having an attack while speaking. The individual fears being incapacitated by the anxiety and hence unable to complete what he or she is saying. The person imagines fleeing the spotlight and having to make all kinds of excuses later for their undignified departure out the office window….
This differs slightly from the majority of people who fear public speaking because their fear tends to revolve around going blank while speaking or feeling uncomfortable under the spotlight of their peers. The jitters or nerves of speaking in public are of course a problem for this group as well, but they are unfamiliar with that debilitating threat which is the anxiety attack, as they most likely have not experienced one before.
So how should a person with an anxiety issue help themself in overcoming fear of public speaking?
Stage one is accepting that all these bizarre and quite frankly unnerving sensations are not going to go away overnight. In fact, you are not even going to concern yourself with getting rid of them for your next talk. When they arrive during a speech/meeting, you are going to approach them in a new manner. What we need to do is build your confidence back to where it used to be before any of these sensations ever occurred. This time you will approach it in a unique, empowering manner, allowing you to feel your confidence again. It is said that most of the top speakers are riddled with anxiety and panic before speaking, but they somehow use this nervousness in overcoming fear and enhance their speech. I am going to show you exactly how to do this, although I know that right now if you suffer from public speaking and anxiety attacks you may find it difficult to believe that overcoming fear of public is possible.
My first point is this and it is important. The average healthy person can experience an extreme array of fears and anxiety and feel uncomfortable sensations while giving a speech and is in no danger of ever losing control, or even appearing slightly anxious to the audience. No matter how tough it gets, you will always finish your piece, even if at the outset it feels very uncomfortable to go on. You will not become incapacitated in any way.
The real breakthrough for if you suffer from public speaking and panic attacks happens when you fully believe that you are not in danger and that the sensations will pass.
“I realize you (the anxiety) hold no threat over me.”
What keeps a anxiety attack coming again and again is the fear of the fear—the fear that the next one will really knock your socks off and you feel you were lucky to have made it past the last one unscathed. As they were so unnerving and scary, it is your confidence that has been damaged by previous anxiety episodes. Once you fully understand you are not under any threat, then you can have a new response to the anxiety as it arises while speaking.
Defeating and overcoming fear of public speaking and anxiety attacks…
There is always a turning point when a person moves from general anxiety into a panic and anxiety attack, and that happens with public speaking when you think to yourself:
“I won’t be able to handle this in front of these people.”
That split second of self-doubt leads to a rush of adrenaline, and the extreme anxiety arrives in a wave like format. If, however, when you feel the initial anxiety and you react with confidence that this is not a threat to you, you will move out of the anxiety rapidly. Using this new approach is a powerful ally because it means it is okay to feel scared and feel the anxiety when speaking–that is fine; you are going to feel it and move with and through the sensations in your body and out the other side. Because he or she is feeling very anxious, often before the talk has begun, that person may feel they have already let themselves down. Now, you can relax on that point. It is perfectly natural to feel the anxiety. Take for example the worst of the sensations you have ever experienced in this situation—be it general unease to loss of breath. You will have an initial automatic reaction that says:
“Danger–I’m going to have an episode of anxiety here and I really can’t afford that to happen.”
At this point most people react to that idea and confirm it must be true because of all of the unusual feelings they are experiencing. This is where your thinking can lead you down a train of thought that creates a cycle of anxiety that produces a negative impact on your overall presenting skills.
So let that initial “oh dear, not now” thought pass by, and follow it up immediately with the attitude of: “There you are–I’ve been wondering when you would arrive. I’ve been expecting you to show up—by the way, I am not in the least threatened by any of the strange sensations you are creating—I am completely safe here.”
The key to overcoming fear of public speaking and and attacks is that instead of pushing the emotional energy and excitement down into your stomach, you are moving out through it. Your body is in a slightly excited state, exactly as it should be while giving a speech, so release that energy in your self-expression. Push it out through your presentation not down into your stomach. You push it out by expressing yourself more forcefully. In this way you turn the anxiety to your advantage by using it to deliver a speech where you come across more alive, energetic and in the present moment. When you notice the anxiety drop as it does when you willingly move into it. Fire a quick thought off when you get a momentary break (as I am sure you have between pieces), asking it for “more.” You want more of its intense feelings as you are interested in them and are absolutely not threatened by them.
It seems like a lot of things to be thinking about while talking to a group of people, but it is not really. You’d be amazed how many different non-related thoughts you can have while speaking. This approach is about adopting a new attitude of confidence to what you might have deemed a serious threat up until now. This tactic will truly help you with fear of public speaking and panic attacks you have associated with them.
If your predominant fear of the speaking engagement is driven by a feeling of being trapped, then I would suggest factoring in some mental releases that can be prepared before the event. For example, some meetings/speeches allow for you to turn the attention back to the room to get feedback etc. from the group.
If possible, you might want to prepare such opportunities in your own mind before the engagements. This is not to say you have to ever use them, but people in this situation often remark that just having small opportunities where attention can be diverted for the briefest of moments can make the task seem less daunting. It my even be something as simple as having people introduce themselves or opening the floor to questions. I realize these diversions are not always possible and depend on the situation, but anything you can factor in that makes you feel less trapped or under the spotlight is worth the effort and can help alleviate with overcoming fear of public speaking and anxiety attacks.
Faith
Anxiety – Holiday, Everyday, Any Day is a Good Reason to Worry
Many people have anxiety and worry during the holidays. I think it’s almost normal considering that all of us to one degree or another bring heightened expectations to any holiday season. We hope that somehow, this ***** fill in the holiday of your choice season will meet our expectations and everything will be wonderful.
Problem is, our memories of any “great and wonderful” holiday have been whitewashed by the passage of time. The past holiday which we use to develop unattainable expectations for the current season were not that wonderful when we first lived it. We end up being somewhat disappointed, but hopeful at the next holiday will be wonderful.
People with anxiety disorders however, can live day to day in that constant state of worry. Though not specific to any holiday, anxiety and panic disorder symptoms can be caused by almost anything on any day.
Imagine being constantly concerned and worried about basic functions of life. Things like, if the mail and will go out on time, having to attend to errands or going to the doctor for a routine medical test results in an inordinate amount of stress and worry. This is the life of many people who suffer with anxiety.
The term anxiety disorder is actually a general term that is used to identify many types of mental illness.
Things like
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. A good example of this is someone who needs to check if doors and windows are locked in their home. In this example, the person suffering from OCD is likely to check their windows and doors several times during the day and may even get up at night just to verify everything is secure.
Societal disorder. People suffering from social disorders have a fear of people are public places. The fear of public speaking is a very common form of this disorder.
Post-traumatic stress disorder. PTSD is not simply caused from being in a war or battlefield situation. Many people who have witnessed or been directly involved in a dramatic event can be overcome by this illness.
Generalized anxiety disorder. Chronic or continued worry that outside what is considered normal concern may indicate a person is suffering from GAD.
Panic Attack Disorder. Unlike most other anxiety types, panic attack disorders are characterized by physical symptoms like a fast or pounding heartbeat. Panic attacks can come on without warning and last anywhere from a few minutes to as long as 30 minutes or more.
Although mental health professionals claim successful treatment of many of the very types of anxiety disorders, the fact is that anxiety is a chronic condition with long term treatment needs. Although it’s possible to gain some relief through the various treatment programs available, I don’t believe anxiety disorders are ever completely cured.
Abigail Franks
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/anxiety-holiday-everyday-any-day-is-a-good-reason-to-worry-79565.html
Leaders Overcoming the Fear of Public Speaking
Public speaking is, and has been, listed as the number one fear for many years. And while most survey results come from North America, I firmly believe it is a worldwide phenomenon. The anxiety, tension, and sweating that build up before someone speaks is palpable, and if that energy isn’t channeled properly it can and will overshadow what they have to say. The audience will pick up on the discomfort (almost immediately) and will either tune out, or concentrate on the speaker’s body language and tone, and not what they are trying to communicate. There are three techniques I will discuss on how overcome your fear of public speaking, which are: channeling your fearful energy into positive energy, walking and talking with confidence, and remember to breathe!
I’ll never forget the first time I had to do a presentation in college in front of my marketing classmates. My heart was almost beating out of my chest, and I was sweating (thank God for deodorant and my undershirt). When it was my turn to speak I got up in front of the podium, swallowed a big gulp of air (literally), looked down at my notes and spewed forth the first paragraph in under ten seconds. If it were hundred-meter race I would have set a new record. I looked up to see my classmates in disbelief that I had spoken so fast, and the room was dead silent. Thankfully, they looked so funny that I laughed, and then they laughed, and with the tension broken I finished a lot stronger than I began. But after that day, I knew this was something I had to overcome. I have made many more speeches in college and university, as well as in the working world, so much so that I can now enjoy speaking in front of people, no matter the size of the audience.
As the world becomes a global village, we communicate more and more in a variety of situations. Meetings are held for staff, management, shareholders and clients. WE do business at teleconferences, seminars, annual board meetings, trade shows, and I could go on and on, but I think you get the picture about the numerous opportunities there are for you to speak in public to your audience. Those same people can be in your immediate area or half way around the world. And I suggest to you the further away they are from you the more important it becomes to communicate clearly. That way nothing is lost in translation.
As leader it is imperative that you are able to speak with confidence and clarity. It is a great advantage to have, and people will say with admiration about how well you are able to articulate your ideas and proposals. You become more empowered and are seen as a greater asset to your company Needless to say just being an effective public speaker separates you from your colleagues or competition (sometimes they are the same). Decide now not to “try” and be good public speaker, stand up and declare that you MUST master the art of public speaking because above all else YOU will benefit the most from it.
First, remember and accept that you will always be nervous before speaking. That’s a good thing when you channel your energy from a nervous state to a peak – positive state of mind. One of the things I do before minutes before my talks is repeat the following – it’s my time, it’s my time. Simultaneously I slow down my breathing, and gently rub my hands back and forth. By doing these three steps over and over it helps me to focus on what I am going to say, become confident that people are here listening to what I have to say, reinforce the fact that I know my talk better than anyone else, and I am ready to share my message. Now the affirmation or self-talk may be different for you, as well as putting yourself in a peak state. The main thing is to develop steps that will alter your thoughts from giving a speech, to speaking with authority on a topic that you are well educated on and that people want to hear you talk about.
The second point to remember is, when you stand to give your talk, your physiology must exude confidence, even if inside butterflies feel like dragons raging in your stomach. Keep your head high and walk with purpose. As I mentioned before people will pick up on your state almost immediately.
The third and final bit of advice I can pass on is, before you start to speak, take your time and steady yourself with some deep breaths. If you can sip a glass of water before hand (without your handing shaking and spilling it) then do so; that extra few seconds will not be noticed by your audience, and it gives you the opportunity maintain your peak state.
Remember as a leader people are looking to you as an example of how they themselves should act. Becoming a great public speaker takes practice, the ability to channel your nervous energy, creating a peak state of confidence, and exuding that confidence in your physiology. Again, deep breaths in, and let them out slowly. You can do it!
Brian Toppin
http://www.articlesbase.com/presentation-articles/leaders-overcoming-the-fear-of-public-speaking-103780.html
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