Any situation where you want to perform at your best, but feel stressed about your ability to do so can trigger performance anxiety. Even elite athletes and performers experience it. Public speaking, job interviews, test taking, sport or music performances are common examples, but even something as seemingly harmless as being asked a question in a meeting can cause performance anxiety. Anticipation of the upcoming event or meeting can even create anxiety in the weeks prior.
People might “choke” under pressure when they become preoccupied about their speech or performance in ways that are worrisome or unproductive. When performance anxiety becomes overwhelming, the prefrontal cortex kicks into high gear and interferes with activity in those brain circuits, leading us to “get in our own way” of a good performance.
This six-week Mindfulness & Performance Anxiety workshop will explore how we can use mindfulness to work with performance anxiety and fear. Some of the themes covered in this program are: mindfulness, interoceptive resilience, performance anxiety, performance stories, inner-criticism and perfectionism, self-compassion and working with difficult emotions. The program will weave together experiential practices, conceptual teaching and inquiry.
This program is live and will be held for six consecutive Thursdays from September 15 to October 20, from 6:00-7:30 p.m.
For mindfulness to be beneficial, regular practice is essential. There will be home practice each week to put into practice what you learn.
