jupitersterrain four

1.59am 


elbow grease 

misc draft 



Effects of stage fright

When someone starts to feel the sensation of being scared or nervous they start to experience anxiety. According to a Harvard Mental Health Letter, "Anxiety usually has physical symptoms that may include a racing heart, a dry mouth, a shaky voice, blushing, trembling, sweating, andnausea" . It triggers the body to activate its sympathetic nervous system. This process takes place when the body releases adrenaline into the blood stream causing a chain of reactions to occur. This bodily response is known as the "fight or flight" syndrome, a naturally occurring process in the body done to protect itself from harm. “...The neck muscles contract, bringing the head down and shoulders up, while the back muscles draw the spine into a concave curve. This, in turn, pushes the pelvis forward and pulls the genitals up, slumping the body into a classicfetal position


In trying to resist this position, the body will begin to shake in places such as the legs and hands. Several other things happen besides this. Muscles in the body contract causing them to be tense and ready to attack. Second, "blood vessels in the extremities constrict" . This can leave a person with the feeling of cold fingers, toes, nose, and ears. Constricted blood vessels also gives the body extra blood flow to the vital organs

Performance anxiety can begin so innocently. First you notice someone in the 
front row tapping his feet. You wonder to yourself whether you're really 
maintaining a steady beat. Then someone else whispers something to her 
neighbor, and you worry that perhaps your hair is disheveled or your tie is 
crooked, or maybe you're making those funny grimaces again that you thought 
you'd conquered. Worse yet, they are probably discussing how strange or 
inappropriate your interpretation is, or they are commenting on how many 
notes you are missing (you are missing a lot by now). Oh, your teacher is really 
going to yell at you. And your girlfriend or boyfriend is going to be very 
disappointed. Your students aren't going to know what to say to you because 
this is going so badly. Your hands are shaking or sweaty or cold. Maybe you're 
not cut out for this stuff after all...

Sound familiar? Believe me, you're not alone. Performance anxiety affects 
almost everyone, from the beginner to the most seasoned professional. It is 
truly remarkable what paranoid ingenuity most of us generate during 
performance in order to defeat ourselves