exercise class

[koala]

I feel really stupid posting this on here after reading some of the other posts but i need to get this off my chest.

I've spent the last 6 months training to be an exercise instructor (something iv always wanted to do but never had the confidence to do). At first it was terrifying and i didnt think i could go threw with it but i pushed myself out of my comfort zone and did it. The experience not only made me happier and more confident but also helped massively with my anxiety recovery work. Now im at the stage where i am ready to start teaching classes

... or at least i thought i was. I am meant to start teaching 2 classes in a few weeks and whilst im nervous its manageable nerves A) cos its still a few weeks away n B) iv got lots of time to plan & practice before.

However today my local gym called me to ask if i could cover a class for them tomorrow and while my first answer was yes i ended up having to call them back a few hours later to turn it down as i felt so ill with anxiety i couldn't breathe. I guess its normal to feel nervous about your first class but i felt so unprepared i just couldn't cope. Im now feeling really annoyed and disappointed with myself. Im worried iv let a great opportunity pass me by and that the manager no longer likes me. But most importantly what if the same thing happens in a few weeks when im due to start my own class!!! :scared15:

Iv worked so hard on this that i want it to be a success. It is also my golden ticket out of my toxic office job but i am now really worried iv pushed myself to do too much too soon and im not really ready for it. Im doubting myself and if im really ever going to be able to rid myself of anxiety and live a 'normal' life again and if im ever going to be able to do my dream job. Every time something good happens and i make progress i always seem to them mess up again :unsure:

[Davit]

This is the prime reason I don't approve of exposure as a therapy. It only works for those capable of bulling through a situation and for those that can do that it does work. But this is why people keep telling me CBT only works if you keep doing it. Well this type does for sure. It has limits and doesn't cover the full spectrum of anxiety where there is another form that does. The other form has no "just do it's" Even the most timid can do it with lasting results. And you don't have to keep doing it over and over.

Sorry for the vent but it is a pet peeve of mine that this is a little known form of CBT despite the fact it is proven to work. Maybe it is too new. (five years isn't really new)

[MyNameIsTerry]

Koala,

As part of your study, have you had to conduct classes before?

Your worry is quite understandable and its something that everyone feels before taking a new job anyway, its just that yours is more intense due to the anxiety disorder. Sometimes conducting "mocks" helps people to get beyond this and I thought there had to be so many sessions conducted as part of some fitness qualifications so I'm wondering whether you have done some and how you went on?

[Davit]

Good post Terry

I seem to be grumpy today, could it be that I woke up to snow this morning and now it is steady rain. Yuk. Even though I wanted the rain.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Cheers Davit,

I wouldn't worry, a lot of us over here are less than thrilled with our mental health services. CBT has excellent recovery rates, which is strange given most of the people you ever speak to about it are still not recovered!

Our CBT only came in as a way to reduce waiting times for therapy anyway as the system was well broken so Ive always been skeptical about that as our government love creating fresh lists to show improvement by number shuffling!

I like snow but I hate the slush. Its worse when it then freezes again but this must be nothing compared to up there. A couple of inches of snow and out country grinds to a halt thesedays and it didn't used to be like that!

[koala]

Thanks for your posts.

MyNameIsTerry yes for my course i regularly had to teach infront of people and my exam was taking a class so i know i can do it. Infact i got really good feedback from my exam and bizarrely felt fairly calm on the day but i think its cos i had done a lot of mock classes to prepare. I also used to co-teach dance classes in my teens and did work experience with an instructor 4 years ago and taught some of his classes. So i can do it and do enjoy it.

I think what really paniced me last night was being unprepared. I want to go into my first class feeling confident about what i am doing. If i had agreed to cover the class tonight i wouldn't of had time to prepare any music or choreography and i would have had to just throw something together last minute. Maybe a more experienced instructor could do that but id be worrying about if my music was ok and what other exercises i should do.

For my own classes i am going to practice them with family and friends before i take a class for real.

[MyNameIsTerry]

I think thats a really good idea. I was looking at this along the same lines as someone scared of giving a presentation. I used to have a job where I did a lot of that in front of people of all levels and often to represent my company at local level. At first I found this hard but at least I didn't have the anxiety. I found that once you get started, your confidence comes through. A trick an old senior manager once told me was to engage with the audience so in my first presentation I used their names which meant they woke up a bit and I felt like I was talking to them rather than at them. This helped and I have done this where I can ever since.

I think you are right, it was the sudden pressure. You've got plenty of experience doing this and have enjoyed it when you could have felt under pressure in your exam.

Could there also be an element of it being all you now and no safety net? I think thats likely with people starting out regardless of anxiety and it will go very quickly when you start. Getting some good feedback from your sessions will likely work wonders with your confidence here.

When you did your practice before, did you plan ahead or just turn up and go for it? If the former, it does make sense that this sudden booking startling you a bit. I'm sure you will get past that as your business takes off though.

[koala]

Hi,

Yes the safety net has gone and that terrifies me. In your exam people expect you to be nervous and understand if you make a mistake but when someone is paying you to teach them they expect you to know what your doing. Its a big responsibility so i want to be prepared as best as i can. I have always planned classes in advance and i have also attended classes before teaching them so i have an idea what i am doing. I have never done a tums, bums, thighs class (the one i was meant to be covering) in my life so im not 100% sure of the format.

Thanks for your advice i really appreciate it.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Well in that case, why not book into a couple of competitors and see what they do? Would you be able to work it out from watching any online classes? I know there are online instruction courses in a lot of things thesedays so maybe there is in that?

The safety net thing is natural, its just when you have anxiety everything gets amplified.

People may expect you to know what you are doing but they also don't expect to be getting the best of the best for what they will be paying. Some may not have been before anyway so won't know what to expect. I think people will be realistic, some may prefer a different style, some gel more with some people than others out of personal preference so I think you just have to concentrate on doing your best.

You might find by doing an icebreaker your confidence grows anyway as I'm assuming there is an element of introduction about it?

[koala]

I was thinking about going to a tums bum thighs class tonight which is run by a "competitor" (they aren't really a competitor thought they are the people i have done my training with and i have attended some of their other classes so they know me well. They just dont have any slots available currently for me to teach for them). I have also tried looking at classes online but some styles are easier to find videos on than others.

When i do my own classes in a few weeks they will both be advertised as new classes so ye there will be an element of introduction.

Thinking i should maybe focus on my own classes first and then start covering for other instructors once i have more experience and confidence?