Anxiety holds you back

Have you ever gone into a meeting or audition feeling anxious? Suddenly, your heart is beating fast and you end up stuttering your words. You just don’t know what to do, because you’ve got the chitter chatter within your brain as well, telling you that you’re not good enough.

Anxiety during auditions, meetings, and interviews is a common experience. It can make you compare yourself to others, especially the last person who went in before you and feel like you’re not good enough. This is a result of negative biases and unless you manage your anxiety, it can take over your life…

I never understood why I felt so anxious, I would just put it down to being a sensitive person, plus I used to suffer from anxiety quite badly when I was younger, especially in social situations and it controlled my life.

But this is me, I’m an anxious person I feel when I go to interviews, and auditions, on top of the negative thoughts telling me I’m not good enough. I missed out on opportunities all because of the anxiety and worry that followed, I would let it define me. And because of that, I stopped what I loved because of the fear the anxiety holding me back.

How anxiety can affect us

I defined myself by who I thought I was, well, not me, just my anxiety. In my later years, I felt isolated during the time of my break-up, I was consumed by anxiety, and this was where it became unbearable, so I looked for a way to relieve myself from the feeling. I felt like being alone was a comforting safety, but it was just familiar that’s all.

This level of anxiety can take hold, be all-consuming and close doors to opportunities that otherwise might be open. If I felt intense emotions I would try and run away from them and look for a familiar safe place. I did not want to feel it. And that’s usually how we react by pushing it away which causes resistance, it does not get to the root.

When I discovered mindfulness self-compassion my life changed for the better, from lost to feeling more self-assured and finding myself again.
During a very intense time when my anxiety was at its highest point, I would place my hand over my heart and say, “It’s an ocean wave it shall pass,” and repeat over and over.

Steps to overcome anxiety 

During times of anxiety in auditions, meetings, and public speaking, it can be helpful to breathe into the diaphragm, this breaks the cycle of anxiety and helps to regulate your breath by reducing anxiety.

Studies have also shown that self-compassion has a positive impact on decision-making and psychology. For me, self-compassion was the light at the end of a very long tunnel of feeling very lost. Talking to yourself the same way you would talk to a friend by using self-compassion and self-soothing words to help to overcome anxiety. Lasting, acknowledging your emotions as they are without changing them can help too.

If you want to improve anxiety and find breathing space, by also learning steps on how to manage with effective strategies, book my next pay-what-you-can workshop available on my profile.