Blondie#2 -> RE: A question about social anxiety (Feb. 23 2016 10:41:30)
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ORIGINAL: jg7238 The difficult part is transitioning from that solitary state to encountering crowds. quote:
ORIGINAL: Mark2 Baby Steps Juan. Put yourself in a low pressure situation and gradually move the needle to where you need it to be. Exactly. Careful controlled exposure eg. -when you practice, visualise and imagine the neighbours listening intently to what you are playing -you say one of the issues is noise, practice playing in noisy environments - turn up that TV of yours, put the stereo on -invite a friend round, pick up your guitar and play them a piece. Now say for fun you will play the same piece, but you want them to try and distract you by making loud random noises. Have fun with this, make it a game, if they put you off you buy them a beer or something. The fun aspect is important, choose the right friend. -next time at a social gathering eg family, pick up your guitar and say you'd like some feedback on a piece of music you are working on. Play something EASY you could play blindfolded and know inside out. Now ask them to clap along to something (noise), choose a fun piece they can get into. I have done demos to school kids where I teach them very simple tangos palmas (silent, clap, clap, clap) and then once they get it, start playing along. -take your guitar somewhere public but informal with no audience eg the park, prepare 3 or 4 numbers (again, easy ones) sit on a bench and play them. Get talking to people, it will help bridge that disconnect and help your subconscious not see them as a threat -busk, for longer, in a noisier environment, eg. busy street, for 30 mins. Talk to people. -go along to a small open mic night, again prep one or two very easy pieces. TALK to the audience. Introduce the music and respond to their applause. -mental exercises (visualisation) throughout where you regularly walk yourself through the whole process of playing a short set on stage, hearing the noise, seeing the people, and listening to yourself play the excellent quality music you know you can play, and watching/hearing it all go really well. Get the idea? Its simply building up the pressure of people and noise but keeping you in control and helping break down those barriers. If you still struggle with this, a hypotherapist could help or an NLP practitioner.
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