Stage Fright?

Where Julie and I talk about stress induced narcolepsy...

12:14 PM How has everything been with all the Vortex release craziness? You been stressed?

12:15 PM Julie Cross: It has gotten a bit crazy all of a sudden and a little stressful but in a good way

12:16 PM me: Yeah a lot going on I'm sure...do you ever get nervous on the interviews or when your speaking?

12:17 PM Julie Cross: I always get very very nervous. To the point of anxiety.

12:18 PM You do stage performing too, what do you feel right before it starts?

12:20 PM me: Yeah I've been doing Improv for a year and before that I never preformed before I love it...Sometimes I get butterfly's in my stomach right before but I never really get nervous I'm always excited...

  But even as a kid I was always fine public speaking

12:23 PM Julie Cross: I had an event on Saturday...a one hour solo presentation in front of about 100 people and I noticed something that happens to be right before these types of events, like minutes before, I get really drowsy. Like I might fall asleep at any moment

12:24 PM I've heard of all kinds of speaking anxiety symptoms but not this one

12:25 PM me: Really? That's really odd I never heard of something like that lol...I've heard of headaches, stomach pains, sweats but never pre-event napping lol

12:28 PM Julie Cross: I know it's weird and kind of hard to explain. I'm dying to find someone else who has this feeling. It's like I'm totally keyed up, senses alert, shaking hands and then it's just gone, and I'm suddenly tired, my eye lids are heavy...

12:29 PM me: Maybe it's like your body is so stressed that its exhausted and shutting down?

12:31 PM It's like stress induced narcolepsy

12:34 PM Julie Cross: or its a calming mechanism? I don't know...after I got done with the hour presentation I felt like I just ran a half marathon

12:35 PM Do you think the improve aspect takes the pressure off because you can't really prepare?

12:36 PM me: Maybe could totally be a calming mechanism...well stress is really tough on your body so the half marathon tiredness totally makes sense...

12:37 PM Maybe the improv is less stressful because you can't prepare but I've done speeches and stuff where I had to prepare and I was fine...takes a lot for me to be stressed I suppose

12:39 PM Having said that I know people that get super stressed every time they do improv

 Julie Cross: Though I should say that when I do group events, like a panel with several authors, I get little butterflies before answering a questions but nothing major

12:40 PM and it's weird because I never panic during a speaking event, I can think and change and adjust on the spot better than a lot of people but before...

12:42 PM So how does the improve work? How big is the crowd? Does the audience choose the topic?

 me: There is support up there just like in improv from all the other authors

12:44 PM So we go up on stage we have 9 people onstage and we get a suggestion of anything and then we do a show that is all influenced by that suggestion but it's all made up on the spot

12:45 PM Julie Cross: that's really cool! I would love to see a show sometime. In fact you should probably tell our blog readers where they can see a performance if they happen to be in NYC? And if it's grownups only?

12:49 PM me: Yeah it's a lot of fun and it's super supportive that's what I like about it it's about the group succeeding not just one performer...my team is named Big Make Me we preform at a lot of bars so you need to be old enough to come in but we do performances at theaters too and anyone can come to those but anyone can follow us at www.facebook.com/BigMakeMe

12:52 PM Julie Cross: Awesome!

12:53 PM Okay, I gotta run and pick up #2 and #3 from gymnastics...
Do you guys get stressed before having to preform or public speak? M.P.