I can’t remember a time when I’ve had anything I would call outright stage fright. Nerves yes, but they’ve always been the normal, healthy little butterflies that help me focus my way through whatever it is I’m supposed to be doing.
Gill, on the other hand, has struggled with the bad kind for a long time. But here she is, sounding like she’s finally starting to beat it. That’s cool. It’s nice to hear some good news in the midst of the health weirdness she’s had going on for the last several months.
Does the thought of singing or talking in front of large crowds make you at best tremble, and at worst feel like you will paint the area brown, yellow, or green? You’re not alone. Lots of us deal with this feeling. I have dealt with it for 25 years, and at times thought I was alone.
Backstory
I was rehearsing for a theater arts class play in high school, and a week before the play I completely forgot my lines. After the rehearsal, instead of encouraging me, the other girls in the play told me how much I sucked and how retards like me shouldn’t be in productions like this if I couldn’t handle it.
Flash Forward
Twenty years later someone from my church hears me singing, and suggests I sing at Bible study. I reluctantly agree expecting people to judge, but the reviews were rather positive. I confided to a friend that I was absolutely terrified to perform, but my friend told me I didn’t seem scared in the least. I told her that my laser focus was a result of being on sports teams.
Now
A little over a year ago, a lady from my church approached me and asked me to take over her preaching sessions as she was having migraines. The two of us are on a team that has run a prayer line since 2020. Again I reluctantly did so, because, why not? It has been a great help with my stage fright.