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Why my body starts shivering and mind becomes upset when I face the audience?

19 Answers
Last Updated: 07/27/2020 at 6:22pm
1 Tip to Feel Better
United States
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Jennifer Fritz, LMSW, PhD

Clinical Social Work/Therapist

Day to day life can be stressful and overwhelming and my strength is assisting my clients in a supportive, empowering and practical manner.

Top Rated Answers
Hotchocolate7
January 15th, 2015 12:39pm
It has to do with certain beliefs you have regarding facing the audience. Those beliefs trigger certain emotional and physiological response/s to the situation. CBT is one way of treating these beliefs. Once you change your perception/ belief of that particular situation, you also change your response to it
Zora17
April 3rd, 2015 5:24pm
That definitely sounds like "stage fright", feeling nervous or having anxiety when facing an audience or being the center of attention like that. Probably because of a feeling of being judged or evaluated. The body shivering is a physical symptom, while the mind upset is a mental symptom. The mind upset could be feeling confused, forgetting what you wanted to say, and overall, feeling paralyzed and afraid. This is probably one of the most common forms of anxiety and in general, almost everyone feels at least nervous in front of an audience. With it being one of the most common, there are many tips out there on how to improve it as well! Search for tips online or ask people what they do to be confident in front of an audience. With practice, it improves!
Bliss2510
July 27th, 2020 6:22pm
Hi, I would like to start off by saying that it is really brave for you to try to face your fears and challenge how you feel. It is extremely normal for your body to shiver when you are in front of an audience. This may indicate that you lack confidence or are afraid of judgements from people. You mind gets upset, or you feel overwhelmed because you want them to like you or appreciate you. This makes complete sense and so I know that because I was afraid too, but now that I have faced my challenges, I want you to remember that you can too and that eventually things will get better for you.
UniverseChild
November 24th, 2015 2:00am
Stage fright is often common in large groups, even small ones. It could be part of a social anxiety.. check out some self help guides!
starryRiver83
February 16th, 2015 10:13pm
This can maybe be a result of social anxiety and fear for speaking or being up in front of people. Remember there are ways in which you can increase your confidence in this sense and there are many guides available on the website to help you. If you struggle to speak in front of people doing larger presentations, try set yourself little targets, such as ensuring you answer one question in class, lecture or in front of people per day, or becoming actively involved in a conversation amongst a small group of people each day. Something like that can really help you to become more confident in your surroundings.
hopefulParadise73
June 26th, 2018 3:15pm
I have lack of confidence.I fear that i will be wrong and people will make fun of me.There is less belief on gut instincts
anonymouslistener6
November 10th, 2015 1:28pm
because you have a hard time dealing with confrontation, you may have low self-esteem and not enough confidence to face people. It could be for several reasons, maybe you're shy or afraid of people judging you. I overcame this fear by continuous practice for instance taking training lessons in english teaching courses (random but effective)
Anonymous
December 29th, 2015 3:53am
Your body starts shivering and your mind becomes upset when you face the audience because you feel nervous as you are being observed.
friendlyKiwi99
February 9th, 2016 6:55pm
You, my dear friend, might have a fear of public speaking. This fear is most widely felt and majority have or do face it. Id recommend facing your fear But step-by-step. Start small by giving a speetch to some of your closest friends and move up there, But dont move on to the next stage untill your comfortable with the last one.
RogerDan555
June 20th, 2016 11:55pm
It's stage fear and it's completely normal. Perhaps you are bothered because you are new to it. But I would say, even the professionals face nervousness while going on stage, but as they tend to curb it since are used to all this. Just be confident when speaking or performing..
mistymountaindreamer
July 18th, 2016 10:20am
You are experiencing the sympathetic nervous system so focus on your breathing for a while to stimulate the parasympathetic/relaxed state.
MrSurreal
October 18th, 2016 3:41am
In my experience it's because we're self conscious and afraid or failure or embarrassment. They anxiety of it induces a fight or flight mechanism adrenaline starts pumping and our bodies can't handle it very well especially while trying to stay composed in fear of that failure. It brings about mental and physical stress.
Anonymous
January 9th, 2017 3:38am
Do you have anxiety when it comes to speaking (or performing) in public? A lot of us have a fear of public speaking (perhaps, because we are afraid of being judged and scrutinized by a large group of people). It helps to constantly practice or rehearse by yourself before moving onto a small group of friends/family members (who are willing to provide you with honest feedback and support) and eventually, to a large audience of strangers. The more practice you have, the more confident that you may feel once you are onstage.
Anonymous
July 11th, 2017 6:45pm
Maybe you have anxiety. It is recommended to seek a psychologist if that is bothering you often or has manifested recently.
Anonymous
November 7th, 2017 1:19pm
Because in our mind we begin to imagine that the people sitting right in front of us are either judging or criticising us.
Anonymous
July 6th, 2015 3:04am
I would personally feel like I am standing up there just for everyone to judge me physically. From a personal experience sweaty palms and whole body shaking is a freaking terrible experience called stage fright
Anonymous
November 26th, 2018 7:08am
It’s because you are anxious and your body is reacting. Do deep breathing and get something to calm anxiety in your mind and body. You can do it. Keep working on controlling anxiety. Try to look above the audience. The more you get in front of an audience the more you see they can’t hurt you. Also work on any insecurities so that it won’t bother you in front of people. That means loosing weight or exercising or having better posture or doing skin care routine. Work on you more and more and the people will intimidate you less and less.
Dujour2000
June 22nd, 2020 3:30pm
Facing an audience can be daunting. "Nerves" would be the word I'd use to describe the physical symptoms you've described. It's not uncommon people deal with the same issues when they address a large crowd. The feelings that come with such an anxiety might include nervousness, fear of making a mistake, and perhaps what others might think about you. Your physical symptoms are also common as well as sweating, and even severe stomach upset. Performers talk about this issue often. May I ask a question? What goes on in your mind before you face groups? What does your self-talk sound like?
Clarices
June 14th, 2015 4:43pm
It's about your self confidence. Be the leading actor of your life And take the control. Everybody has weaknesses.