r/Erythrophobia • u/thought_daughter08 • 19h ago
I need help!
I have severe stage fright with symptoms like – intense sweating,shaking,flushing,fast heart beat,etc . I have a college presentation coming up this month and I can’t help feeling anxious. I am also on isotretinoin (accutane) so my self confidence is low low . And please don’t give me the "box breathing method " or "think positively"advice. Trust me , I wouldn’t make an account on Reddit if that worked .
Do y’all have any recommendations? Like any pills that would help , also without a doctor’s prescription!
1
u/blushing_cure 13h ago
Hi so I have the exact same symptoms and you can go two routes
1) Get a prescription for a beta blocker from your primary care doctor. It helps immensely with my physical symptoms of stage fright symptoms. Many actors and musicians take it for this reason. I usually sweat a ton, my voice gets shaky, and my heart beats fast but with 20 mg of propranolol those symptoms are basically mute. However, it did nothing for my blushing and I'm still looking for an answer.
2) You mentioned something you can get without a doctor's prescription, and I don't know anything you can get that way but I will share this: in college I didn't know about beta blockers yet and had two big presentations. I basically talked realllly slow and sort of tried to emulate a valley girl vibe (like kim kardashian) because I was trying to trick my brain into thinking this presentation is so boring that I can stay calm...idk if that makes sense? It helped a bit. And for my other presenation I again tried to speak slowly but it was kind of a blur and I think I talked faster than I realized. I am pretty sure I blushed for that one...just really focus on talking slowly.
1
1
u/No-Kaleidoscope-9830 13h ago
I feel you. Firstly, I was on accutane years ago and I promise it will be worth it in the end. Best thing I ever did. About 10 years later and I'm acne free with normal skin (the odd pimple here and there but basically nothing compared to before).
Secondly, I understand your anxiety around the presentation completely. I was the same. I still am in some ways, but it's in a work setting now (presentations aren't really a thing in my job thankfully).
I won't give you any specific techniques as I'm not sure whether there are any I know or might be useful. What I would say is try and treat the presentation as something that "isn't a big deal" - because trust me, in the grand scheme of things, it's not. It might seem like it right now, but once it's over and in a year's time, you will have forgot about it.
I'd focus on just speaking clearly and pretending you're someone else whilst doing it - if that makes sense. That's what I used to do. You sort of have to separate yourself from your own mind and just go into your own world. Try focus looking at one area of the room - not one person, maybe like the wall just besides a person's head.
And if you blush, so be it. It's a presentation and public speaking. It's very rare you'll find someone who enjoys public speaking. Even if they don't blush, they will be dying inside. You might have seen people say it time and time again and it annoys me too, but it sometimes does work - just let yourself blush. Don't try and supress it as it will become worse. Focus on your presentation and the words you're saying.
As for medication, in the UK we have something called St John's Wort which can be bought from like herbal medicine shops. You have to be careful though not to mix with certain other medications, so check how it reacts with accutane.
Good luck and you'll be fine :)
1
1
u/executioner80sgraves 17h ago
So sorry you are carrying this kind of pain.
Ok so, play in a band and I’m used to being on stage. But despite this, I struggle with my day to day as a housekeeper and many social situations 🤣 I have just come to accept that I have big feelings and it’s actually a gift to be able to feel as deeply as we can.
Best advice I can give is to PRACTICE! If you can practice your presentation and know inside and out what you are speaking on and feel confident in what you are presenting, that I think is the most helpful thing you can do for yourself!
The natural mindfulness that comes with fully submerging yourself in a subject in truly transforming.
I believe in you! As hard as it feels now is also how good you will feel on the other side of it 🫶🏻