FEAR!

I am feeling fear these days! Not performance fear, life fear. So much going on, so much pain, so much confusion. What we can do in these moments is the same that we can do on stage or in challenging conversations.

What is your fear response?  Do thoughts of doom and disaster overwhelm you when you are challenged?  Do you have a way of reorganizing body and mind to allow fear to be in your experience along with your intention?  Fear and intention can live side by side in any moment, we have a choice as to which one is bigger and brighter.

Make a mental or on paper list of what you experience when fear rises.  This might be at an audition, lesson, performance or it may be in a difficult conversation.   What happens in you?  

For me, I usually experience an upset stomach and get caught thinking about what could go wrong.  In this mindset, things may not go so well.  I would describe this as being caught in the past or future instead of being in the present.  

If we can bring our mind and body into the present we can allow the fear to be part of the experience but we can get to organizing ourselves for what we want to do - play our heart out or speak our truth, maybe even find the words you are looking for.

Here is a process to organize mind & body when you feel challenged…

• Acknowledge all your feelings, “I feel scared/excited________”

• Notice how you feel in your body. I.e. shaky, upset, tired, sweaty palms, racing mind

• Let these feelings and their sensations live in the moment.

Build your awareness and your ability to move by adding…

• Awaken the tactile sense.  I like to feel my feet on the floor or clothing on my body.

• Listen!  Hear the sounds in your space, both loud and ambient.  Note what you hear.  A car zooming by, the radio, footsteps, birds

• Feel your breath!  Feel the ribs moving as you breathe. (the control center for air movement)

• Allow your visual field to include the periphery.  See walls, ceiling, floor and all of the items around (for me, bones scattered around on desk and floor, books opened)

Enjoy the 4 senses in the present moment!  Notice how fear-related emotions respond to this.  Notice how your thoughts are moving/changing.  What is different? Having the four senses I describe be part of your experience primes the body for movement.  Every activity is about movement.

You’re now ready to execute whatever is ahead.  Refresh awareness over and over throughout the performance/conversation/activity.  With practice, optimizing awareness becomes easier, more accessible.

I LOVE to practice building this beautiful awareness when I am challenging myself with learning new music or a new move in Parkour or flying through the air.

Be curious….

My desk, a sign of the state of my mind….