When I was a child I was scared of the dark, which is common for a lot of people. As I was going off to sleep I would often feel a presence around me that felt big, cold and imposing. I would not want to close my eyes and would choose to lie on my back so I could see every corner of my bedroom. Continue reading “Letting Go of an Old Way of Protecting Myself” →

Nervousness and anxiety have been my all too often companions. For most of my life I have been a nervous, anxious person, though not on the surface, as I learnt to disguise it quite well… or so I thought.

I lived as a scared little boy for many years. Not all the time, just at certain times: always doing things to please other people, looking for recognition, not doing things because I was scared of being wrong or shown to be less. Continue reading “Nervousness and Anxiety – A Scared Little Boy” →

Do you ‘freak out’ at the possibility of getting up and talking in front of a group of people? Why? I mean, really why? Over the years I’ve heard many answers to this: I’ll make a fool of myself, I’m not good enough, I’ll forget what to say, I don’t know the topic, I don’t look good enough, no one will be interested, I can’t handle all that attention focused on me, my voice is too quiet, I’ll make mistakes, I can’t do that, I don’t have the confidence, etc. etc.

At one time or another I’ve given all these answers as reasons, or rather, excuses, myself. But are they really the crux of the issue? Are they causes or merely effects? I’d like to share some experiences of my own to explore this question with you. Perhaps you can relate. Continue reading “Stage Fright” →