0904 – The Mental Effect Of Mic Fright

2023.06.23 – 0904 – The Mental Effect Of Mic Fright

The effect of nerves and stress on the body

psychosomatic

/ˌsʌɪkə(ʊ)səˈmatɪk/

adjective

1.   A physical illness or condition caused or aggravated by a mental factor such as internal conflict or stress

2.   relating to the interaction of mind and body.

Extra adrenaline upsets your natural hormonal equilibrium causing ‘microphone-itis’. It’s not a nice list of symptoms and side-effects to have one or more of these.

Mentally:

·        Concentration evaporation - a ‘foggy’ brain, or feeling light-headed and losing an understanding of time (it either dragging or speeding[1])

·        Feelings of apprehension, fear, dread or panic

·        Feelings of failure, inadequacy or lack of skill

·       Negative and self-critical thoughts “it’ll go badly”, “I won’t cope”, “I’m going to be found out” …

[1] Some presenters experience losing a ‘sense of self’ during a performance (not quite in the moment and viewing themselves from a third-party point of view), and a strange ‘sense of self’ afterwards (having lost a sense of time, the event either super-slow, tortoise-like and tortuous or a racing rollercoaster and over all too soon). It’s thought this is because our perception of time depends on rhythms which are regulated by adrenalin, which at moments of stress, we have too much of. Actor Arthur Darvill: "I've been so nervous during shows that I've walked off-stage at the end and immediately forgotten everything that I've just done.” (https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2012/sep/21/stephen-fry-stage-fright) 

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