Photo by Frederik Trovatten.com on Unsplash
Have you recently had to speak in front of a group of people? Have you had a job interview or done something else you were really nervous for? How did you handle it?
In the past when I would get nervous about something I would try to pump myself up and tell myself how awesome I am and how amazing I am going to be at the thing I was about to do. Taking drama class all four years of high school I did this a lot as I got nervous each time we performed in front of a big group. It got easier over time, but I still got nervous and used this method. It reminds me of Jack's speech to pump himself up for all of the 30 Rock fans out there.
Speaking in front of people about technical topics is something I am challenging myself to do more this year. It is really fun, but it is also really easy to spiral down the rabbit hole of imposter syndrome and worry about how I don't know what I'm talking about and everyone will see that and laugh at me.
To combat this now instead of building my confidence up with compliments I just dance to music that's exciting and fun. I take the moment to just be care free and have fun for a few minutes to forget what I am nervous about. It is a nice mental reset and has worked much better for me. My go to song for this is "I Wanna Dance with Somebody" by Whitney Houston.
Maybe this could work for you? At the very least, it is a very good song.
What are things that work for you to help with being nervous?
Top comments (2)
I Power Pose when I get nervous!
It has been shown in studies that literally just standing in a powerful pose can boost your confidence and help you perform better. I learned this from watching this TED talk. Now when I power pose, I add a little twist to it. I like to do it in front of a mirror and recite these lines from Jr. in Cool Runnings. I power pose every time before I give a talk. It gets me pumped up and in the zone. I also ride horses competitively, so I power pose before I ride in a big important class as well. Highly recommend trying it!
Very cool. I like the approach of removing nervousness by stopping and taking the time to focus on what one's body language is saying and changing that to a message of confidence. Good idea on making it fun too. Thanks for sharing!