There’s a familiar phrase among actors that goes, “acting is reacting.” And while it’s true, it applies to much more than just acting. The truth is, we’re always reacting, even when we’re not on stage or in an audition.
When you freeze during an audition, what you’re reacting to is the anticipation that something will go wrong at some point in the future. You’re reacting to the worst-case scenario even though it hasn’t actually happened. The solution is to find something different to react to instead—something that allows you to be playful rather than defensive.
When we feel unsafe, our body responds by triggering basic autonomic nervous system reactions: fight, flight, freeze, faint. Those reactions are hard to change directly and hard to change quickly. That’s because when you experience fear, your body generates a quick burst of adrenaline and even when the scary stimulus is gone, it takes another 10 to 20 minutes for that adrenaline to work its way out of your system.
The typical reaction to these nervous feelings is to pay attention to them. But here’s my advice: don’t. Don’t be hypersensitive to how your body is feeling.
This may feel
There’s a familiar phrase among actors that goes, “acting is reacting.” And while it’s true, it applies to much more than just acting. The truth is, we’re always reacting, even when we’re not on stage or in an audition.
When you freeze during an audition, what you’re reacting to is the anticipation that something will go wrong at some point in the future. You’re reacting to the worst-case scenario even though it hasn’t actually happened. The solution is to find something different to react to instead—something that allows you to be playful rather than defensive.
When we feel unsafe, our body responds by triggering basic autonomic nervous system reactions: fight, flight, freeze, faint. Those reactions are hard to change directly and hard to change quickly. That’s because when you experience fear, your body generates a quick burst of adrenaline and even when the scary stimulus is gone, it takes another 10 to 20 minutes for that adrenaline to work its way out of your system.
The typical reaction to these nervous feelings is to pay attention to them. But here’s my advice: don’t. Don’t be hypersensitive to how your body is feeling.
This may feel
Leave a Reply