Ear muffled and feels 'full'

[Darksky]

As always the worst thing about the presentation will be the anticipatory anxiety leading up to it. I imagine all the people there will be bricking it. I agree the intention is to push you a little ( or a lot) out of your comfort zone. What have you got to talk about? What's the subject matter?

You know, you WILL do this whatever. I can guarantee you won't enjoy it but you will get through it. You will feel relief it's over but hopefully a little pride that you successfully confronted your fears.

Write out what what you are going to say, go over it until you are word perfect, so that if nerves strike, it will spill from your mouth like reciting your times tables. Practise in front of a mirror. Take a deep breath between sentences, pause and continue. Rushing and gabbling will heighten your anxiety. Slow yourself down into slow motion, we do things too quickly anyway. My movements are too quick, it was pointed out to me by a physio.

Is the course in general doing any good?

[fishman65]

Hi Darksky, thank you. You clearly have more belief in me than I do. What I'm going to do is leave myself the option of ducking out. It is having a knock-on effect that is impacting on 'necessary' events like taking my Dad for his eye injection this Friday. My brother makes himself unavailable by telling my Dad 'call me if you need anything'. Which immediately makes my Dad feel he's being a nuisance. And my brother is now retired and lives 4 miles closer.

If I do the presentation, and its a big if right now, I thought about using our two dogs as the subject matter.

[pulisa]

The presentation is a long way off though. Can you try to put it to the back of your mind until later and deal with the more pressing problems such as Friday's hosp trip? One step at a time and all that guff?