[broadwaylove]

So I take drama as a subject in school and on Friday we finished our big end of the second quarter test, which was getting on stage with a group of four people performing a play we made up that is 8 minutes long. We've been working on this play all quarter. And we we were going to perform last..
So the whole time leading up to the second we started to perform, I was full of anxiety. I was shaking like a leaf and I couldn't even tell people how to set up the stage Dxxx
I took drama to get out of my comfort zone but my anxiety is just killing it...
Does anybody else feel this way?

How do you guys deal with anxiety?

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My daughter loves drama class and theater - she's in high school. She also loves choir and has a beautiful Soprano voice.

She was experiencing anxiety in acting. She decided not to take Acting II this coming school year but is continuing choir. She and I keep an open dialogue and that helps her anxiety as I can relate.

Is there a school counselor you can meet with? That may help with your anxiety. Also, talking to friends and/or family that understand can support you.

Exercise (cardio) and journaling can help reduce anxiety.

If your anxiety is affecting your daily life, seeing a doctor and a therapist for treatment can help you. There is no need to be embarrassed. It's confidential and anxiety affects many people. It can be managed.

I wish you the best. Try to remember that anxiety itself is not harmful. But there is no doubt it feels uncomfortable and it is a good idea to address it.

[Talthybius]

Well, it seems your decision was spot on. You wanted to do something that brings you out of your conform zone, which is a great insight, and it is working.

Depending on the teacher, you can may be consider telling him/her that you are doing this class not because you are enjoying it but to get out of your comfort zone.

In my experience, to improve as a person, you have to get out of your comfort zone continuously. And the younger your age, the stronger the effect.

Anxiety is all in the mind. It is completely irrational and usually subconscious.
You have to be careful for that anxiety that creates more anxiety and at less stress. You can enter both a positive and negative spiral.

[scorpiosis37]

I'm a professor and I used to get extremely nervous before teaching a class or presenting at a conference. I actually got a prescription for propranolol from my GP. It is not a psychiatric medication; it is something actors and musicians with stage fright often take. It prevents the physical symptoms like sweaty palms, fast heart beat, shaking hands, etc so you can focus and perform. I used it for about six months when I was just starting to do a lot of public speaking. It worked for me, and now I don't need it anymore because it helped me get over the initial anxiety.

[Talthybius]

I have heard often about beta blockers use and abuse by professional musicians/stage actors.

There's also some side effects. My father is on it as heart medication. I wonder if it affects your personality, when you are kind of immune to adrenaline.

[scorpiosis37]

No, it does not affect your personality at all and side effects are very rare. It is only meant to be used right before a performance. One pill. It is not something to be taken regularly. I have a bottle of 30 pills that has lasted me two years. Of course, like any medication, is to be taken as prescribed by your doctor. You can abuse anything if you are determined not to follow your doctor's directions.

[alicetailor]

Broadwaylove, how did you perform?