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.
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.
]]>Although I don’t want to become too “scientific,” having a basic understanding of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system will help you understand the causes of panic attacks.
The sympathetic nervous system is the one we tend to know all too much about because it primes our body for action, readies us for the “fight or flight” response, while the parasympathetic nervous system is the one we love dearly as it serves as our restoring system, which returns the body to its normal state.
When either of these systems is activated, they stimulate the whole body, which has an “all or nothing” effect. This explains why when a panic attack occurs, the individual often feels a number of different sensations throughout the body.
The sympathetic system is responsible for releasing the adrenaline from the adrenal glands on the kidneys. These are small glands located just above the kidneys. Less known, however, is that the adrenal glands also release adrenaline, which functions as the body’s chemical messengers to keep the activity going. When a panic attack begins, it does not switch off as easily as it is turned on. There is always a period of what would seem increased or continued anxiety, as these messengers travel throughout the body. Think of them as one of the physiological causes of panic attacks, if you will.
After a period of time, the parasympathetic nervous system gets called into action. Its role is to return the body to normal functioning once the perceived danger is gone. The parasympathetic system is the system we all know and love, because it returns us to a calm relaxed state.
]]>The entire human energetic system is extremely influenced by sounds, the physical body and chakra centers respond specifically to certain tones and frequencies. Special consideration should be given to the positive effects of one actually playing or creating music themselves.
Among the first stress-fighting changes that take place when we hear a tune is an increase in deep breathing. The body’s production of serotonin also accelerates.
Playing music in the background while we are working, seemingly unaware of the music itself, has been found to reduce the stress of the workplace. That’s why so many retail places play music while you shop – to take your mind off the high prices!
Music was found to reduce heart rates and to promote higher body temperature - an indication of the onset of relaxation. Combining music with relaxation therapy was more effective than doing relaxation therapy alone.
Many experts suggest that it is the rhythm of the music or the beat that has the calming effect on us although we may not be very conscious about it. They point out that when we were a baby in our mother’s womb, we probably were influenced by the heart beat of our mother. We respond to the soothing music at later stages in life, perhaps associating it with the safe, relaxing, protective environment provided by our mother.
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The purpose of visualization is to enable you to quickly clear mental stress, tension, and anxious thinking. The visualization can be used when feeling stressed and is particularly useful when your mind is racing with fearful, anxious thinking.
This visualization process, when practiced frequently, is very effective for eliminating deep-seated mental anxieties or intrusive thoughts. To gain maximum benefit, the exercise must be carried out for longer then 10 minutes at a time, as anything shorter will not bring noticeable results.
There is no right or wrong way to carry out the visualization. Be intuitive with it and do not feel you are unable to carry it out if you feel you are not very good at seeing mental imagery. As long as your attention is on the exercise, you will gain benefit.
It is best to do this exercise in a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed, and then when you are more practiced you will be able to get the same positive results in a busier environment such as the workplace. You should notice a calming effect on your state of mind along with a sensation of mental release and relaxation.
Either sitting or standing, close your eyes and move your attention to your breath. To become aware of your breathing, place one hand on your upper chest and one on your stomach. Take a breath and let your stomach swell forward as you breathe in and fall back gently as you breathe out. Take the same depth of breath each time and try to get a steady rhythm going.
Your hand on your chest should have little or no movement. Again, try to take the same depth of breath each time you breathe in. This is called Diaphragmatic Breathing.
When you feel comfortable with this technique, try to slow your breathing rate down by instituting a short pause after you have breathed out and before you breathe in again. Initially, it may feel as though you are not getting enough air in, but with regular practice this slower rate will soon start to feel comfortable.
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If you have panic attacks, it may help to comfort you that you are not alone! You’re not even one in a million. In America, it is estimated that almost 5% of the population suffer from some form of anxiety disorder.
For some, it may be the infrequent panic attacks that only crop up in particular situations-like when having to speak in front of others, while, for other people, it can be so frequent and recurring that it inhibits them from leaving their home. Frequent panic attacks often develop into what medical physicians refer to as an “anxiety disorder.”
There are many ways of coping with an anxiety disorder. Some may not work for you, but others just might. It helps to know some of the most common coping techniques for dealing with panic attacks when they begin.
Your first step is to recognize when a panic attack is about to begin. When you have enough of them, you start to really pay attention to the tingling sensation, the shortness of breath, and the disconnection from the real life around you.
Many people I talk to wonder what that disconnection is like. They have a hard time understanding it. Those of us who have panic attacks are all too familiar with it. It’s like you can look at a solid object and see that it is there. You know it’s there, but a part of your mind doubts that it really IS there.
You may find yourself reaching out to touch that object just to be sure. You feel like you’re not a part of the world around you. It’s as if you are just a spectator in your own life with no control over anything around you.
Believe me, this is a horrible feeling.
]]>Wait, what was that? An unpleasant feeling forms in your throat, your chest feels tighter, now a sudden shortness of breath, and what do you know-your heart skips a beat. “Please, God, not here.” You make a quick scan of the territory-is it threatening? Four unfriendly faces are behind you and one person is in front. Pins and needles seem to prick you through your left arm, you feel slightly dizzy, and then the explosion of fear as you dread the worst. You are about to have a panic attack. There is no doubt in your mind now that this is going to be a big one. Okay, time for you to focus. You know how to deal with this - at least you hope you do! Start breathing deeply - in through the nose, out through the mouth.
Think relaxing thoughts, and again, while breathing in, think “Relax,” and then breathe out. But it doesn’t seem to be having any positive effect; in fact, just concentrating on breathing is making you feel self-conscious and more uptight. Maybe if you just try to relax your muscles. Tense both shoulders, hold for 10 seconds, then release. Try it again. Nope, still no difference. The anxiety is getting worse and the very fact that you are out of coping techniques worsens your panic. If only you were surrounded by your family, or a close friend were beside you so you could feel more confident in dealing with this situation. Now, the adrenaline is really pumping through your system, your body is tingling with uncomfortable sensations, and now the dreaded feeling of losing complete control engulfs your emotions. No one around you has any idea of the sheer terror you are experiencing. For them, it’s just a regular day and another frustratingly slow line at the grocery store.
]]>But, because Anxiety is one of those ’sweep it under the carpet’, “embarrassment-type-I-think-I-might-be-going-crazy” disorders, people don’t like to talk about it. Or admit they are long time sufferers.
Especially if you are someone always in the public eye, such as Kim Basinger. Kim had a long, difficult struggle with Anxiety disorder, and kept it a secret for quite a good portion of her life. You would never guess it to see her up on the ’silver screen’ though would you? But she in fact has spoken out publicly about her battle with Anxiety in the hopes that this may raise awareness of this dreaded disorder. And it has. She is one brave soul to expose a huge portion of her private life like this. Kudos to you Kim!
Let us not forget also that Anxiety is believed to be an inherited disorder, although your mom or pop may not show the outward symptoms of it. Remember, this is an embarrassment disorder, or one that makes the sufferer believe they are, or are going, crazy. However, not every person who has experienced an Anxiety attack will develop a full blown disorder, but don’t discount the fact that potentially they COULD.
]]>Anxiety disorder is excessive anxiety and worry about events or activities, which occurs most often than not in most days for at least six months. A person who has anxiety disorder finds it difficult to control the feelings of worry and fear. The anxiety, worry, or the physical symptoms of anxiety disorder can cause considerable suffering or harm on the important areas of daily life activities. Some of the common types of anxiety disorders include separation anxiety, social anxiety or phobia, selective mutism, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), posttraumatic stress disorder (PSTD), panic disorder, agoraphobia, generalized anxiety disorder, and specific phobia. Each of these anxiety disorders has different symptoms, but the entire symptoms revolve around excessive, unreasonable fear and dread.
Separation anxiety is defined as developmentally improper and excessive anxiety relating to separation from home or to someone you are so attached with. Social anxiety or phobia is generally understood as extreme fear in the face of social interaction. Selective mutism is the consistent failure to speak in specific social situations where you are expected to render speech. OCD is an illness wherein you have recurrent and unwanted urge to do something to relieve your discomfort. PST is an incapacitating condition that follows a terrifying event (persistent terrifying thoughts). Panic disorder is categorized as recurrent brief episodes of intense fear that are accompanied by many physical symptoms, like heart palpitations and dizziness, even without external threat. Agoraphobia is defined as an incapacitating fear of open spaces, resulting to avoidance of crowds, and open public places. General anxiety disorder is described by diffuse feelings of apprehensions with physiological symptoms. Specific phobia is a feeling of intense, irrational fears towards certain things, like closed-in places, heights, water, etc.
]]>For many people, anxiety interferes with normal life. Excessive anxiety is often associated with other psychiatric conditions, such as depression. Anxiety is considered abnormal when it is very prolonged or severe, it happens in the absence of a stressful event, or it is interfering with everyday activities such as going to work.
The anxiety symptoms we may experience physically are:
Body:
Burning skin sensation
Persistent fatigue
Electric shock feeling
Excess of energy, you feel you can’t relax
Feel like you are going to faint
Feeling cold
Hyperactivity
Increased or decreased sex drive
Muscle twitching
Tightness or stiffness of shoulder, back, and neck
Numbness or tingling in hands, feet, face, head, or any other parts of your body
Persistent muscle tension
Jumpy
Too much sweating
Trembling, shaking
Urgency to urinate, frequent urination
Weak legs, arms, muscles
Either way, you need to know how to help yourself, or someone you care about deal with Anxiety. And the best way to do this is through understanding what Anxiety is and offering them, or getting, the support they desperately need.
I’ve also outlined different ways you can face debilitating anxiety and panic attacks that many people suffer from. While researching this book, I’ve come across some amazing information and can’t wait to share it with you. I’ve learned so much myself, so let’s look at how to eliminate stress and anxiety from your life!
My hope is that as a long time sufferer of Anxiety and Depression, you can help yourself, or a loved one, not feel as if they are alone in this horrific disorder by reading through this guide. That there are other people out there that are suffering just as you may be right now at this very moment. And that you can get help and overcome this affliction.
Let’s look at how to eliminate stress and anxiety from your life!
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