Public
Speaking and Panic 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 the funeral
than giving the eulogy. Public speaking for people who
suffer from panic attacks or general anxiety 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 panic 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 panic attack‚ as they most likely have not experienced
one before.
Public Speaking
and Panic Attacks
So how should a person with an anxiety issue tackle
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 before speaking‚ but they somehow use this
nervousness to 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 panic attacks
you may find it difficult to believe you can ever overcome
it.
My first point
is this and it is important. The average healthy person
can experience an extreme array of anxiety and very 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 panic 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
public speaking and panic attacks…
There is always
a turning point when a person moves from general anxiety
into a panic 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.”
Public
Speaking and Panic Attacks
The key to controlling your fear of public speaking and
panic 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
fear of public speaking and panic attacks.
I
hope you have found this public speaking and panic attacks
page helpful. Please give it some careful consideration
and you will realize it contains the truth.
The
“Panic Away” Program:
Proof At Last that Panic Attacks and Anxiety
Can be Eliminated For Good!
Article links (Summary)
Causes of panic
attacks discussed here
Public
Speaking and panic attacks discussed here
Agoraphobia
and panic attacks discussed here
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attacks driving?
Anxiety attack
symptoms discussed here
Panic attack symptoms
revealed here
Do you have Intrusive
Thoughts?
Do you suffer from anxious
thinking and intrusive thoughts?
Panic Attack Medication
discussed here
Generalized
Anxiety Disorder Discussed Here
Diet to
help Eliminate Anxiety Covered Here
Anxiety and
panic attack tips discussed here
Do you suffer from depersonalization?
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