I’m new to the forum, so I thought that along with asking a question (which is at the bottom if you want to skip my blabbing) I’d tell you about my experience with public speaking and how beta blockers have helped to turn it around.
I’m 21 and a student. After reading many of the posts on the forum, I would describe my reaction to public speaking as common. Like many have described, I have the heart-pounding, the shakes, the severe tremor in my voice that makes me sound as if I’m about to cry, the blinking, and the sweating, you name it, I get it.
The planning that would go in to trying to avoid presentations in the past is actually ridiculous, I would think up incredible reasons for my absence; the urge to leave, even when you are about to start speaking is so incredible, but because I knew I couldn’t escape public speaking for long, I would always go and always leave feeling a failure.
I can’t actually remember when in school my fear developed but I know I had it all through high school. If I was asked to read aloud from a book, I would stumble on every word, the words barely escaped my mouth sometimes. Again as many people describe, I’m usually the chatty, confident member of my friendship group, but as soon as I have to speak in front of a crowd it completely changes, which added to the embarrassment caused as my friends didn’t understand how my confidence could so quickly change.
My fear of public speaking is present in meetings; when I’m asked to introduce myself, when I’m picked on to answer a question in class, presentations, speeches, interviews, basically anything in front of a group.
Luckily, at the age of 18, when I was in college, I realised that with so many presentations counting towards my grades, I would have to do something. I tried hypnotherapy, relaxation, CBT, rescue remedy sprays etc, but after these didn’t prove to work, I plucked up the courage to go to the doctor. I described the effects that even the thought of public speaking would have on me and then what actually occurred when I had to do a presentation etc. The doctor prescribed me 40mg propranolol, to be taken in anxious situations.
I was sceptical of the tablets and remember the first presentation I had to do after being prescribed them. There was the usual crying days beforehand and plotting every way out of doing the presentation (the usual) but the day finally came. I took propranolol an hour before the presentation and I was shocked to discover that I wasn’t feeling the nerves I’d usually be feeling at that point. It was my turn to present and I got up and did it. I did it, without the pounding heart beat, without the shakes or stutters; I got all the way through the presentation without any problems. I can’t even begin to tell you what that feels like for me; I think I skipped down the corridors afterwards.
Beta blockers REALLY DO work – I have been using them for 3 years now, and I can quite honestly say they have changed my life. (Cheesy but true).
Although I should say that although you don’t feel nerves before you are just about to speak, you do still have the dread of the presentation, I think that will always be there just before, but that quickly goes away and you being talking much more confidently.
I feel so lucky that I went to see the doctor at such a young age, I know it would have been so much easier to not go and hide away trying to avoid the presentations, but going to the surgery will be the best step forward in your fear of public speaking.
Make the appointment!!
That’s my experience and now here’ the question:
I was wondering if anybody with experience using Propranolol for public speaking would be able to advise me, I have a presentation coming up which will form part of a group of 20 each doing presentations. These will last 5 hours and I do not know when I will be presenting. I was wondering when I should take the tablet and if I should take 1 at the beginning and then one halfway through the 5 hours to ensure that they are at maximum effect? I have never had to wait for such a long period of time and I’m afraid that when I come to do my presentation, they will have maxed out already. Any advice would be very helpful.
Thanks for reading and good luck with any public speaking coming soon!!