Public Speaking for the Shy and Socially Anxious

You have made the first step, that was the hardest.  It is easy from this point on!

 Good job!  sherry/smomdukes

I agree, the first significant public speaking is the hardest. The best way to keep confidence in your new victory is to schedule your next event right away. Give yourself

enough time to be well prepared, and keep on keeping on!

Thank you Ricovering!

I hope that it will get easier but no presentations have been booked yet!  I am still recovering from my first.  But yeah...maybe I can do this again. 

Thanks Sherry!

I sure wish you had been in the audience!

Thanks so much Judy!  You are too kind.

You have a lot of courage to deliver a eulogy...wow...I have never done that before.  I bet you felt proud of yourself for doing it. 

When I was speaking I kept thinking about you guys and how safe and at home I feel here.  Writing is my element.  This is where I can be myself.  But it was an honor to get up there...I was probably the worst speaker but hey...I did it and...it was a tremendous growing experience.

I am very glad to be back...I am still trying to catch up!

Merely Me, Just want to say, I love your new photo, is very nice,  you look great how do you do it !!  You look so glamorous, healthy hair and you look radiant sincerely !

Awww that is so very nice of you to say Fifi!  I missed you guys too.  I am really glad to be back here where I feel all safe and snug.  :>)

Oh!  Wanted to ask...where is Rose?

Rose!  are you okay?  please come out to say hello to us...I am a bit concerned about you!

Just wanted to let you know - Rose is doing okay but going through Effexor withdrawal and has been really tired and not feeling well, so I think she's eased up a bit on the time she spends on line.  I hope she doesn't mind my saying this, but she's talked about going off Effexor, so it's nothing she hasn't said herself.  I keep in touch with her, she's such a sweetie.

Thanks Judy!

If you can...tell her that she is very missed but I totally understand...I hear that Effexor is really horrible to come off of...so she has my utmost admiration for what she is going through.

This is a good place to find strength, honesty, and vision. The love is an added bonus,

I hope you don't feel left out, we're all one, here.

Hey Jon

I think you do really well here...you are communicating just fine.  You are one of us and we want you here...this is where you belong!

Hey Lyra!

Thank you so much for your kind words.

You know...afterward I sat in the back of the ballroom with my bosses and...one asked me, "Do you feel proud of yourself?" and I said yes but...honestly all I felt was shock.  I was so wired that I did not come down for days. 

Now I am like...yes I really did that!

I will be thinking of you on your long plane ride and journey to LA.  I hope you don't get too anxious and that you have fun once you are there.

Hurry back to us!

Thanks for the tips!

No...no blathering for me.  I had all of five to seven minutes to tell my life story and why I do what I do on Health Central...I had to be very concise.  Next time I hope to feel more relaxed.  I was terrified.  But I did not shake so this is good!

We will see if I get to speak again...if anyone lets me.

awww thanks Anne!

We shall see what the future holds...I would do it again.  The next time I would try to enjoy it more...I was just so focused upon getting through it.

Hey Vicki!

You always know the exact right things to say to me.  It is funny...when my speech was done and then we had questions from the audience...I was absolutely relaxed when I was just answering questions.  Why is that not fear inducing but giving a presentation...is? 

Speaking of MS...I have an MRI on Tuesday.  Wish me luck.  I have gotten used to those and all the loud noises and being cooped up in there.  I don't enjoy it but it doesn't produce the anxiety it once did.  Just hope they don't mangle my veins getting the IV in. 

Okay Miss Vicki...I hope you have a lovely weekend and I am so happy to see you come wandering over to this site.  You are wonderful...hope you know that.

Hi Merely Me and all, Wow, its nice to know Ive been missed and also caref for.

In the midst of my withdrawals and pain with same, self loathing has been trying to nest in my  hair and to read the enquiries for me was heartening, tks.

Merely Me, I think youre brilliant, it would take a few times to get you confident.

My boss was to give about a half hours talk to the Catholic 'Hierarcy' Bishops, Priests within an area where theres alot of poverty.  Half an hour before I was to go, the priest from Church beside me came in and said 'rosemarie Charlie cant make it, youre going to have to address the 'Congregation' how many? about 200 Rosemarie. Rosemarie went straight to the loo and those words were a great Laxative. My BP rose, I went into a complete panic.Dizzy,Vertigo,....

I went up on the Podium and it was a large hall filled with men, [no women] you could hear a pin drop. Coughing, clearing throats began, my face was scarlet, I had vertigo. I can remember addressing them..  The 1st thing I said was 'Ive been thrown into this by my Boss and havent any speech prepared, Im panicking like hell, my hands are sweating and Im going to faint. Bear with me !

No laugh, just a room of black and white staring back. Hell !

So, I started about the poverty around where I was working, about the single mothers coming into me, many with multiple partners through lonelness and self esteem issues, how they lived in substandard conditions etc, the men and women on the streets, but I went on to say, that in 'Flatland' where I was working, not one of these people ever had a visit from any of them. Yet they had time to play Golf, I ticked them off and said how a visit, a kind word, some of Gods word would make their lives abit better, how i understood, homeless people dont always smell too good etc. somehow  I got through. Feel the fear and practically faint.    At the end, there were handshakes and I was treated like royalty, the Bishops spurned me but alot of the priests came over and said it had  made them think,  but my reward came when a homeless man billy, who was an unmedicated Schitzophenic had gained access at the back of the hall, he came over and hugged me tightly with3 coats on,smelling of ciggies and whathaveya and said 'Rosie you showed em'  Merely Me I know how much courage it took, I applaude you.

Oh my gosh Rose!  What a story!  You really should consider publishing some of your stories...they are that good.  I hear ya about the laxitive part.  LOL  It is something my sister does speeches for a living and she throws up before each talk.  She said she was in the bathroom throwing up for one conference and there was a famous children's book writer in the next stall throwing up too before her talk!  So even pros get nervous.  Proud to say...no vomiting for me!  Then again I didn't eat anything the day I gave my talk.  But after...I made up for lost time.

Glad to see you Rose...we need you here!

Hi MM  thats so funny [sorry lol] but just thinking of a professional throwing up !

Id prefer to throw up , its quicker, neater and easier to wash away in the basin or toilet, the other is just awful...   I was told that practice made it easier ?

Obviously thats wrong. I DO know a well known actor who still gets a massive Panic attack EACH time before he goes on Stage.  He says the Adrenaline gives him the rush then to put his all into the acting. 

Hi Jon

Sorry to hear about your depression.  Where do you find help?  Where you can get it I suppose.  I hope you are helped some by coming here and interacting with other members. 

When in your life have you been at your best?  What was going on in your life to produce those conditions? 

Hope you have a good weekend...keep talking to us.

Dear Jon

Emotional needs -    A sense of Safety,  A sense of some type of financial security, A sense of belonging, a friend, be that online, 1 person  to confide in,

something to take yourself away from yourself, ie a hobby, interest, not essential but helpful would be a good relationship and a good sexual life with lots of hugs. Hugs are emotionally and physically healing, Belonging to a group is a biggie in the emotional needs, that can be being American, being in a church, or support group, having people with the same beliefs, or problems or things in common. We need to be valued... this can come from sorting out clothes in a thrift shop /2nd hand clothes shop, helping out in a shelter for the homeless.     I hope this has helped Jon. Sorry youre low I know just how you feel. Physically - if you could try get out today for a walk ? look at Nature. Ignore distractions that annoy you, let me knowhow u get on Jon.