PSA - Public speaking terrifies you?

At the time - this was almost terrifying for me - and I would struggle.  The first thing was that my heart rate would rise, then I would become aware of that - and get in to almost a panic situation.  It was a physiological response of fight or flight.

It was debilitating.

If you are anything like this - I would like to recommend something called Propanolol.  It is a medication that is a beta blocker - and is used for people with heartbeat fluctuations.  In laymans terms - it doesnt let your heart rate get over normal, which stops the cycle I describe above.

In my own experience - this was a miracle for me.  Take one 20mg pill an hour before a presentation - and I was good to go.  It changed my life in college and allowed me to perform in my professional career as well.

I am much older now - and give presentations often for a charitable organization I am on the board of.  I dont even need propanalol anymore - but I remember when I relied on it like it was life or death.

If you have any questions - feel free to ask.   I know I have helped many people in my real life with this tip, and there are lots of people out there that suffer from this type of social anxiety.

GL

As long as you are helping others with life issues, perhaps you can suggest a remedy for this ...

I tend to get the runs after a day of watching football and losing money.

It is not the runs that I need the help with, as I find that to be cleansing in an odd way. It is the chaffing that comes afterwards.

It seems that no matter how well I wipe, I still develop a rash between my cheeks afterwards. I utilize the 'paper-wipey-paper' method, whereas I remove the initial larger remnants from the area in question with some Charmin, then I go in with the wipeys, as this really freshens up the sphincter. Then I go back to the Charmin as not to leave the area damp, which could promote bacteria growth, or possibly even mushrooms. 

As for making sure that I am completely free from dingleberries, and other hanger-oners, I gently insert one wipey covered knuckle into the exit area to ensure that I am tidy and clean. 

All of this, and I still get butt rashes.

I truly appreciate any advice you might have on this problem, Vanzack? 

Well, that lit the fire. I worked on my act, took a speaking class, and came back with a vengeance. Next year, next talent show, I destroyed that night!

I could have done 3 hours, and it would have felt like 5 minutes. They asked me to emcee the following year, and warm the crowd up. Loved it!

Public speaking scares off most people, but try to keep a few things in mind:

Lack of preparation is when the wheels begin to fall of.. I was paralyzed with fear before I decided to enroll in public speaking 101. I slowly gained more confidence and enrolled in 200 then 300 level course once I was trained up.

Best professor I ever had in 4 years. Man was a stud and trained us to perfection. 

This is where my area of expertise ends.

Nothing in it for me except possibly helping someone who needs help.

I will check out your other thread.

Unfortunately - I was so preoccupied with the fear of losing control in that situation that it dominated my ability to be prepared.

I am just bringing this up as something that worked well for me.  It is a totally inocuous (sp?) pill that you take as needed and has no side effects.  A lot of musicians also take it.

Some might call it a performance enhancing drug.

I'll look into it!

There are anti anxiety medications that are much safer. The medication is designed for cardiac patients with patterns of heart fluctuations, hbp, etc...c'mon guys. 

I am not sure I would go this far Search.

Of course everyone should do their own research, but I do not think in my research and experience that it is a "lethal" or high side effect drug.  Anyway - everyone should find out for themselves.

I can tell you my experience - it changed my ability to perform during presentations - and as a result changed my life.  I was able to get jobs I would never have gotten - and excel in those jobs.  It was a total gamechanger for me.

Like everything in life, take it for what its worth - but I wish someone had told me about it at a younger age.