Do you suffer from nerves when you have to do a presentation or perform on stage and be the focus of attention publicly? Did you know that people fear public speaking more than almost anything else?
Also known as performance anxiety, stage fright is a common problem for many people, not just those in the acting profession, If you have to speak at a meeting, a conference or any large gathering of people who want to listen to you and what you have to say, you’ll be familiar with the feelings of tension, anxiety, and fear. You may even have felt this in smaller gatherings where you are the focus of attention. Perhaps you have learned how to avoid these situations to stay your fear and enjoy life in a way that you can. But you may have turned down opportunities because of your stage fright. Has it held you back in your career progression? Has it kept you away from social situations? Do you feel constrained by it?
There are things you can do to help you cope. You can:
• Practice breathing slowly and relaxing.
• Prepare and practice what you want to say.
• Put your focus on what you are sharing, rather than on the fact you are sharing it.
• See your audience as friends rather than enemies.
• Accept being good enough, even although it may not be perfect.
• Focus on fluidity and continuity so that you recover from any errors and people won’t notice.
But what if you’ve tried all this and still can’t put yourself front and center of others? And you really need to or want to, get past your stage fright.
There is something that can help you to both relax and focus at the same time and be able to deliver the performance you want. That is hypnotherapy. Hypnotherapy uses guided relaxation to lead you to a state of intense concentration and focus. With the help of the hypnotherapist, you will be able to take control of your emotions rather than allowing them to take control of you. The fear you feel when you walk on stage, the butterflies in your stomach, the dry mouth, the sweating, the mind-blanking. Hypnotherapy can help you deal with these feelings in a way which you are comfortable with. Hypnotherapy can help to ease your mind, release the tension and worry that you currently experience when you want to speak or perform, and you will find that you become so relaxed and calm that none of the old patterns of behavior appear.
You respond differently to the situations that in the past would have caused you so much distress. As your mind responds differently so will your body. No more will you suffer from erratic heartbeat, sweaty palms or fear. You’ll be focused in the moment as you act or speak in public from a place of strength and security. Read more about how hypnotherapy can help with relaxation.