http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/view-image.php?image=61538&picture=terrified-man&large=1 I did not like standing up in front of people and talking or performing when I was younger; even all the way through my teens. The anxiety I experienced made my body shake through every presentation or speech I gave in school. I got nervous in the sports I did, not because of the race, but because of those watching. I didn’t like to fail and I didn’t like to fail in front of anybody else. This carried on after high school for years. I started going to watch improv theater and admired the performers’ willingness to be goofy and completely fearless. After a year of admiration, I worked up enough nerve to pay for the level 100 class at Unexpected Productions in Seattle – the improv theater group that put on the shows I obsessed over. After about a year and a half of classes and performances, I had managed to rid myself of that anxiety I had been hindered by for so long. I felt confident to be who I always wanted to be. I felt comfortable speaking in front of people and I found my way into management because I wasn’t scared to lead a team to success any longer. For me, learning to fail and accept it as part of life was the biggest take away for me. In the first class I avoided as much eye contact as I could in order to not be called on but in level 100 improv, it doesn’t matter – you stand in a line and you have no choice but to be next as you ‘yes, and’ your way through your first class. After the three-hour class, I couldn’t wait to leave as my anxiety consumed me that first night. I didn’t know if I could go back the next week. I didn’t think I was strong enough, but I was also didn’t like quitting things. So I went back and over the next eight weeks I got more and more excited to play with the ideas that resided in my head and felt pretty good after those two months. I couldn’t wait for level 200 or 300 – I couldn’t wait to complete the curriculum. I took levels 200-400 numerous times, not because I had to but I found new ways to shake off the fear every time. Now, almost fifteen years later, I have found that I love teaching and I love helping people improve their lives. I have decided that one thing I am passionate about is being an improv coach/instructor so I can help those who struggled with the same things I did growing up. I am proof that the most anxiety ridden person can be cured of those worries through an art form that forces you to fail publically but also in a space where it’s perfectly okay to fail and expected to do so. In Chicago, the Second City Improv pairs with a local therapy office to help those with social disorders. Specifically, they help those with Social Anxiety Disorder. Through a combination of group cohesion, play, exposure and humor they host improv classes that teach these individuals that suffer from SAD that it's okay to fail, it's okay to take chances and to say what's on your mind. www.beyondanxiety.com/pdf/Comedic%20Improv%20Therapy%20for%20the%20Treatment%20of%20Social%20Anxiety%20Disorder.pdf. I eventually want to end up in Chicago and be part of this program. I’m sure those of you who have taken improv classes (or even acting classes) have so many other reasons for doing so and have so many other lessons learned in the process. I would love to hear about all of your experiences as I journey into the world of coaching and instructing so I could help my students in the ways you all have been helped. Works Cited Sheesley, A. P., Pfeffer, M., & Barish, B. (2016). Comedic Improv Therapy for the Treatment of Social Anxiety Disorder. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 11(2), 157-169. Retrieved from http://www.beyondanxiety.com/pdf/Comedic Improv Therapy for the Treatment of Social Anxiety Disorder.pdf
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