What Can You Do If You Have A Panic Attack During a Public Speech
Anxiety — a feeling of flight response that creates a difficult situation for someone who neither can breathe nor can they stop shaking. It sometimes can be caused by various factors. Sometimes, even unconscious factors can trigger such situations where it becomes a challenging task to endure, let alone experience.
A panic attack is something that I am fairly experienced in. I have perhaps never really given it much thought. Whenever I have experienced it, it was if my heart wasn’t listening to me, and it started pumping faster — this sudden sensation causes me to lose my senses and in some factors my control and threw me in a wide sense of disarray that disrupted many important points in my life. There have been times, that I have experienced a panic attack and thus lost my opportunity to win.
This anecdote perhaps shows how I persisted through a situation that might give others the strength to pull through what I experienced if they however someday experience something similar.
It was perhaps 5 years ago, I was participating in a regional public speaking competition. We were given topics to discuss and provide valid discourse on each one. I choose the topic of emotional intelligence, with my team. I encouraged my teammates to not worry, and I will help them reach the finals. We were able to secure a position in the finals because of hard work and persistence. But at the end of the rounds, we lost because one of our teammates left because of an emergency. This had blown our chances to secure first place, and it destroyed everyone’s morale.
I encouraged everyone not to worry, but they decided to forfeit and I was the only left. I decided to stay and carry on without one. I asked them to stay at least for moral support for my sake. So that I at least know that my team even though they lost their patience, stayed to cheer me on.
When my number came up to speak on the topic, “Impact of Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace” — I had it in the bag, I started to talk how my experience as a mentor has helped garner an excellent amount of result using emotional intelligence being able to empathize with my coworkers and in return it has produced amazing results. I continued with a valid understanding of points by placing pointers in my presentation. I was at the climax, of my presentation — I would have perhaps won it but I saw my teammates leave, by waving goodbye. This perhaps triggered something deep within me when they left.
I felt this weight on my chest, and I startled — A panic attack. I tried to control my breathing but at that moment I experienced a sudden form of stage fright one that I haven’t experienced before. It reminded me of a similar feeling from my childhood. This weight dragged me down into such a horrible place. I struggled to even speak so I started to read, words from the slides from my laptop. I had broken my streak of confidence, I tried to shelter the scattered pieces but to no avail. I failed to conclude my points. Alone, it felt like all the eyes of the audience were like pitchforks stabbing my soul.
I felt a lot of pain while breathing and even standing there on the front stage. It perhaps was one of the hardest things one could experience, I finished my presentation trying to conclude it with two or three sentences that I mustered to finish. And then I bid my Goodbyes. My Supervisor came to me, and asked me “what happened to you out there” — I told him, I had no clue what happened. We waited for the results, and then came the bad news I came to 4th place but I was not disappointed, I was in my teammates but not in myself.
I had just perhaps experienced and endured something so hard and difficult it could have ended much worse, I would have fainted from that weight but I still kept on speaking, even though my I was stuttering. I kept on going, my mind was fighting to keep in check. I didn’t want to give up, but the wave my teammates gave me was something triggered that attack. Afterward, when they came to meet me some days later. Their attitude was far negative than I had anticipated. Thus, I took my leave bidding farewell to our team of speakers. I left. They couldn’t even bare stepping forward for support, let alone quitting something people worked so much hard for.
I learned many lessons that day, to always head into battle with people that will stay by your side in front of insurmountable odds without a doubt in their heart and mind, who would cut any who would stand in their way and goals.
It gave me the determination to join the next year’s regional competition and I came alone and won it with a straight victory without experiencing a panic situation. There was a moment where I felt a little anxiety but I brushed it off with some self humility and crowd laughter.
I used my first-time experience to define my next move. I failed perhaps that day, even though the judges did compliment my efforts, after the first failed attempt. At least, I did — they told me that it was a good effort. It happens to all of us. We can experience such a moment in our lives. The best things are to keep a positive outlook in life and keep moving forward.
The Takeaway
There’s not much anyone can do in the situation I experienced, things I did do are as follows:
- Take deep breaths, and monitor your pulse.
- Read words slowly, with a loud volume so that you can hear them clearly.
- Don’t look towards the audience, instead, look towards the ceiling or floor.
- Don’t engage an eye contact until you maintain your heartbeat.
- Focus on your words, and speak small sentences.
- Try to move during a presentation, to channel yourself thoroughly.
- Lastly, hang in there — Just keep doing it till it finishes.
Thank you for taking the time to follow through, and read the anecdote. I hope it serves you well and helps you if you ever encounter such an experience that you can persist through with gusto.
Stay Blessed and Stay Safe!
With Love ❤️
