Nervous about speaking on the radio

Hello, I would like to ask for some help… I have just received a message inviting me to speak on our local radio station about yoga, as I teach yoga classes locally. I don’t want to turn it down as I would be so disappointed in myself to let nerves get the better of me… However my body has already gone into stress mode (I am shaking, feel sick, wide awake at 11pm, thumping heart beat etc) and the interview isn’t for 5 days.

If you would be able to help me handle this in a calm manner I would be so grateful. Here is my unintentional model…

C. Received message to speak for 5mins on local radio station on Friday.
T. I will get my words in a jumble, stutter. I will be coming into my winter phase. I can’t do this. Someone else would do a much better job of it than me. Maybe I should recommend someone else. People will think I am a douchebag with what I say. I might swear or say something wrong. I am new to teaching yoga and am not knowledgeable enough.
F Panic, stress, nervous, anxious, chuffed to be asked
A. Can’t sleep
– think over and over about it and the logistics of child care so I could speak uninterrupted by my 3 year old
-deep breathe
-respond to message and say I would be delighted to do it
– ask you for help
R make a plan to smash it

Intentional model

C received message to speak on radio for 5min on friday
T. I am capable. I am calm. I know enough. If I stutter or jumble my words it doesn’t matter.
F Calm, balanced
A – look after myself this week in the lead up to it… Rest/deep breathe/do calming things to stop feeling jumpy
R feel prepared and relaxed about it

I am determined to do it. But YIKES!! my body is flipping out… And I also don’t want to go the other way and be overly excited, as this sort of does the same thing to my body… Balanced/neutral/moderate is what I am shooting for so I can actually be me and maybe enjoy the experience.
Any advice would be so appreciated!! Thank you 🙏

Answer:

There is some keen awareness here about your default response to the invitation, and about how you could deliberately choose to respond to it. That’s great!

 

The reason you are feeling panic/nervous/anxious is because your brain thinks you’re being threatened and it is trying to keep you safe. But keep you safe from what?

Answer these questions.

What’s the worst that could happen if:

1) You swear on air?

2) Someone thought what you said was douchebag-y?

3) Someone says they would have done a better job than you.

Then answer this: how would you handle and what would you do in these scenarios? 

When you think about how the worst case scenario might play out and how you’d deal with it, you will likely see that: a) it’s probably your feelings, not your life, that are being threatened, and b) you can handle that kind of adversity. It kind of neutralizes the possibility that things could go ‘wrong’ because you know what you would do, right?

 

Now, what about the best case scenario? What might go very, very well? How would you handle those situations? Give equal air time to both sides of the story, and then choose which side gets the bull horn for the week. Good luck! We’re excited to hear how it goes!