Social / Performance Anxiety: Acting (anxious, seizure, deal, problems)

[tvdxer]

Much of the time, I lack confidence in myself or performance on certain measures (e.g. driving). What I have found that works much of the time is what I call "role switching". It's basically putting on an act, and de-escalating the stress of the situation by focusing your residual mental attention not on the anxiety itself but on the role you are acting out, which is not plain "you" but a character that you invent.

E.g. When I just got off the phone with a hospital about fifteen minutes ago, I lowered my voice by about two octaves and spoke like an "alpha male". When I took my driving test on Halloween 2002, I utterly failed it - failing became a self-fulfilling prophecy; the next time I took it, in July 2004, I had not so much improved in skill (although I practiced A LOT), but I rather took on a character of a overly-talkative insane man when the examiner (the SAME examiner) entered the car, garrulously talking about everything and nothing while we drove. I passed.

A somewhat similar phenomenon seems to happen when I'm driving. Under normal conditions, I am often very nervous - I have had seizures before, and although they are controlled, I am anxious about having another one, and often this anxiety becomes unbearable. When road conditions are snowy and hazardous, though, my mind is diverted from my idle fears into focusing on the road, and that's when I enjoy driving most.

[Billy_J]

I would be concerned about your trying to be someone you are not. I would wonder why you can't be the real you? (Be yourself?)

I think sometimes that is ok. We "play act" when we are children. Sometimes as adults for fun. So I don't know if doing that all the time as an adult is the best thing or not?

I do know it is WONDERFUL to be able to be yourself around other people. Be who you really are and have other people like you for who you are. I always say, "A friend is someone who knows all about you and still likes you!"

Anyway I don't think it is doing you any harm and no big deal, but at some point in the future you may want to consider counseling with a psychologist (highest training for these sorts of things and more knowledgeable about complex issues). Get a professional opinion on this.

So far as the anxiety with the driving test person... Sometimes placing yourself in the shoes of the other person can be a BIG help! That is for you to get a clipboard, sit in the passenger seat of a car, and give a few other people "driving tests"!

Then switch roles with one of them - they giving you a "driving test" - and see if you are then more relaxed. If that helps, then maybe you could think up similar role playing scenarios for other situations which give you anxiety. Might be a bit of fun as well.

Another thing related to this is they say a good way to learn something is "See one, do one, teach one." (Watch someone else drive, drive yourself, teach someone how to drive.) Teaching someone else how to drive might help to reduce the anxiety.

[Rangerdude_Charlie]

I struggle with this issue so bad as of late. I am having major anxiety performance about school and the internship program I am in right now. I had to do a presentation last night and was having major anxiety and felt like I bombed it. I am so self critical of myself and also lack self confidence. I had a classmate who pointed it out to me. I am struggling really bad with this whole thing. I don't know what is wrong me with and kinda just need to vent. I get the runs when my anxiety is out of control. I have wondered if my testosterone is low because I feel I may have these problems but would need to go to a doctor. I just hate having this issue.