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What happened yesterday looms large on the horizon. Seventy years from now, it won't even be a blip on your radar. You'll have a boatload of embarrassing moments to ponder by then. And some may be worse than your attempt at public speaking. We all screw up. You need to decide if you are going to let one bad experience color the rest of your existence. You get to choose. Put this unfortunate instance in perspective.
PTSD? Come on...let's get real. A huge number of people have had an anxiety attack and survived. One of Nietzche's most famous quotes goes something like, what doesn't destroy me, makes me stronger. Well, you are still here so use this to become stronger. Build your character by confronting your fear. Join Toastmasters. Force yourself.
One of the best ways to deal with what happened is humor. Learn to laugh at yourself and don't take it all so seriously. Now there's a skill that will serve you well in this life. You are human. You will screw up again.
I know this happened over six months ago but I still cannot recover from the most EMBARRASSING MOMENT OF MY LIFE.
I had an anxiety attack in from of 45 people when I was giving a speech. I couldn't breathe, I kept falling over because my knees were buckling and I said sorry to the class numerous times because they were wondering what was going on. I finally "finished" my speech and when I was done, I had to literally walk down the hall of shame where everyone was staring at me until I reached my seat. I was sweaty and smelly and I just wanted to cry. I left class early and the next day EVERYONE was STILL staring at me. Now, I suffer PTSD from this incident. Should I go to counseling to recover?
This was in my freshman year of college.
This is fairly common. I used to have public speaking anxiety so bad that I just took the F from Jr. High through some of college instead of speaking in front of the class. You can go to therapy if you think it will help, but what I found to work, and what would be a cheaper alternative for you, is to take an intro to acting/theater course or a public speaking course.
You know that you are over dramatizing this whole incident don't you? Stuff like this has happened to all of us, and we managed to move on. When I was in college one time I had this huge marketing presentation to do, and I wore a suit with really high heels. On my way to class I had to walk past this massive group of guys playing flag football. They were all looking, and I was feeling pretty good about myself. Suddenly, I went tumbling head over heels on the quad, and yes they were still all looking. This time they were laughing. What could I do, but laugh as well? Life went on, and I had a story to tell. You will be fine, just learn to laugh about it.
Yes you will, just hold your head up high. I myself have had incredibly embarrassing moments and once was in front of hundreds of people. I can't believe I got through it, but all I did was keep walking and looking forward. Yes I may have went home and cried or screamed into a pillow and not ever have wanted to come back out, but the thing that helped me was to keep walking confidently while doing what I had to do and being myself.
Location: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, The World!
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Counseling might be beneficial. Not just because of the incident itself but to help you with cope with the anxiety attacks. It doesn't have to be therapy involving your earliest childhood memory or why you hate your mother, but rather a limited number of sessions with a qualified professional who specialises in this area.
Your experience sounds terrible and terrifying, and what you are feeling now is quite possibly appropriate. You are recovering. This is part of recovery. You're not supposed to just flick a switch in your brain and forget the embarrasment and humiliation. Recovery involves getting on with your life. Not letting what happened stop you from moving forward or trying something again. It's OK to feel shame or mortification when remembering something from your past. Hopefully time will take most of the sting out of the recollection. Try to take something positive from what happened. Learn about yourself and reality. You survived. There is more to you and your history than this episode.
Counselling is obviously in your future if you believe you are having PTSD because of this minor incident.
D R A M A Q U E E N You had an embarassing, not life threatening, although to you MOMENTARILY terrifying incident. You lived through it. USE IT.
I remember my first public speech in college. I shook so hard, the professor had to hold the podium because it was rocking so hard it drowned out my voice. I have a singer's voice - I project, yet my voice was a whisper. I had tears in my eyes. I was mortified by my fear. So I used it - I became angry with myself and promised myself that the next one I was going to know my speech forward, backwards and inside out to stop myself from being nervous. And you know what? I eventually went on to become a public speaker.
So you can wallow in self-pity and humiliation and claim PTSD, or you can kick yourself in the butt and change it.
Location: Where ocean meets up with the naked land.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NY Annie
Counselling is obviously in your future if you believe you are having PTSD because of this minor incident.
D R A M A Q U E E N You had an embarassing, not life threatening, although to you MOMENTARILY terrifying incident. You lived through it. USE IT.
I remember my first public speech in college. I shook so hard, the professor had to hold the podium because it was rocking so hard it drowned out my voice. I have a singer's voice - I project, yet my voice was a whisper. I had tears in my eyes. I was mortified by my fear. So I used it - I became angry with myself and promised myself that the next one I was going to know my speech forward, backwards and inside out to stop myself from being nervous. And you know what? I eventually went on to become a public speaker.
So you can wallow in self-pity and humiliation and claim PTSD, or you can kick yourself in the butt and change it.
Fine! I'll just kick myself in the butt and change things.
I know this happened over six months ago but I still cannot recover from the most EMBARRASSING MOMENT OF MY LIFE.
I had an anxiety attack in from of 45 people when I was giving a speech. I couldn't breathe, I kept falling over because my knees were buckling and I said sorry to the class numerous times because they were wondering what was going on. I finally "finished" my speech and when I was done, I had to literally walk down the hall of shame where everyone was staring at me until I reached my seat. I was sweaty and smelly and I just wanted to cry. I left class early and the next day EVERYONE was STILL staring at me. Now, I suffer PTSD from this incident. Should I go to counseling to recover?
This was in my freshman year of college.
Anxiety is not the same as PTSD. PTSD is me not liking to be in a crowd unless I have a weapon to defend myself. PTSD is not going with my family to watch fireworks at the beach, because I have heard enough explosions and have seen enough sand.
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