Anyone who suffers from stage fright knows that anxiety is not just something you think in your brain…
Anxiety is something you feel in your body.
And there are three particular aspects of this mind-body connection that provide invaluable insights that we are going to use to tame the stage fright monster…
First, the mind-body connection is reciprocal: Your state of mind affects your body, but your physical state also affects your state of mind. And it’s not always possible to say which leads and which follows.
Second, the mind-body connection is specific: Every mental state tends to produce a particular physical state and every physical state tends to produce a particular mental state.
Third, the mind-body connection is automatic: Some responses are so deeply ingrained–whether by predisposition, reflex, habit, or conditioning–that they are triggered without our permission or conscious intention.
Let’s demonstrate the above with a simple and quick experiment: Clench your teeth and clench your fists like you are getting ready to fight. What do you notice?
In my experience, my entire body girds for battle as I lean forward into a confrontational posture. All my muscles, not just my hands and jaw, but my face, torso, and legs become activated to defend myself. My attention narrows as my eyes, ears, and brain go into focused alert mode… crowding out my ability to think about anything else.
Now let’s try another experiment: Smile a genuine smile and hold it. What do you notice?
In my experience, I immediately feel better as my entire posture automatically relaxes. My fists and jaw release to a free and neutral state. My arms and shoulders drop. My awareness becomes more diffuse and receptive as my eyes, ears, and brain go into receiving mode–making space to be playful and spontaneous.
By the way, a smile is so powerful that it will make people around you smile, relax, and feel better too!
We will apply these important insights in future lessons, but, for now, it is sufficient to appreciate the reciprocal, specific, and automatic nature of the mind-body connection.
learn more…
Performance Anxiety: Stream of Consciousness
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