Performers and Creators Lab Founder Says Newly-Acquired Fears May Be Stage Fright
Post-COVID Fear of Public Places Can Be a Specific Type of Anxiety
LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / December 10, 2021 / As the pandemic spread across the globe, there was a 26 percent increase in cases of anxiety from 2019 to 2020, according to research published in The Lancet Journal. But the anxiety doesn’t end there. As things are opening up again and people are going out to events in public spaces, there is an increase in another form of anxiety.
A March 2021 report by the American Psychological Association found that almost half of Americans surveyed felt “uneasy about adjusting to in-person interaction” after the pandemic.
Many people who worked from home and reduced trips outside of the house now feel awkward or intimidated by big public spaces filled with people. Some feel like they’ve forgotten how to hold everyday conversations or feel overwhelmed with how to navigate people’s varying comfort levels with social distance, masking, hugging, and handshakes.
This feeling of social anxiety surprisingly mirrors symptoms of stage fright.
Hypnotherapist and performance anxiety expert and coach Holly Shaw of Performers and Creators Lab says, “being thrust into a global crisis such as a pandemic, much like stage fright, slams down hard on our adrenaline responses sending us into a state of wanting to fight, flee or freeze and causes us an abnormally high amount of anxiety.”
At Performers and Creators Lab, Shaw teaches actors how to tackle audition nerves or deal with stage fright. She says many of the same methods can be used for those who are anxious about venturing out again. “While you will inevitably have to do those things that make you uncomfortable, it’s highly important that you arm yourself with the tools to do so.”
Shaw recommends three tips that will help calm the nervous system and create positive experiences:
- Put your attention outside of yourself and observe three facts that you notice in your environment or on a person you’re talking to. For example, say to yourself, brown eyes, silver-rimmed glasses, green shirt. (Why this works: Often, we have anxiety because we are worried about what others are thinking about us. Observing facts outside of yourself helps you take attention off of yourself. )
- Ask yourself, ‘what am I saying yes to right now? Even if it is a tiny thing (i.e., the warmth of the cup in your hands), bringing your attention to what’s pleasing to you moves you into a positive-minded space. (Why this works: All too often, we push against anxiety, which makes us engage with the fear even more. To combat this, we must make tiny pivots towards something else.)
- Go slow. Don’t stack too many things into your day that are pushing your social anxiety coping skills beyond their current capacity. This may cause emotional flare-ups and irritability, and even more anxiety.
Performers and Creators Lab says, “with patience and the right tools, you can build on positive experiences until one day you’re used to going out again, and the social anxiety will be a thing of the past.”
ABOUT PERFORMERS & CREATORS LAB
Certified Hypnotherapist Holly Shaw helps artists, including Hollywood actors, Emmy award-winning composers, and Grammy-nominated artists, manage performance anxiety so they can crush it on stage and make more money as an artist. She is the author of two Amazon bestsellers, The Creative Formula and Making Art in the Middle of Madness. The Performers & Creators Lab Podcast was named One of the Most Outstanding Podcasts of 2019 by Databird Research. For more information, visit Performers & Creators Lab on Facebook or YouTube. For additional information, visit https://www.performersandcreatorslab.com.
CONTACT
Holly Shaw
(510) 393-9117
holly@performersandcreatorslab.com
SOURCE: Performers & Creators Lab
View source version on accesswire.com:
https://www.accesswire.com/677098/Performers-and-Creators-Lab-Founder-Says-Newly-Acquired-Fears-May-Be-Stage-Fright