Anxiety over Presenting Causing Procrastination

[spyr05]

I think I once read somewhere that one of the reasons people procrastinate so often is because of the bad emotions that they associate with the consequences of the things that they have to do.
And this definitely applies to me right now. I have to make and present a creative project for one of my college classes by Monday. I've always been uneasy with public speaking/presenting, and I was beginning to feel that I was getting better and better at it in this class because I was successfully expressing myself creatively. Until two weeks ago when I presented a project and nobody even understood it (in a bad way), everyone was really quiet and only asking questions just to clarify what they'd seen. It was really awkward.

Now I feel that one of the reasons it's so hard for me to start another project that I have to present in a similar manner is because I keep thinking about how horrible it was to feel like such a failure in front of my class and my professor last time, and I don't want to deal with those feelings or think about how I have to work hard enough to avoid them.

Do any of you think that this is valid? I was just wondering if anyone else ever felt a lot of anxiety over procrastinating because they felt it was relevant to some very personal negative emotions.

 

[Etbow23]

I think it can have to with that and also just anxiety over doing the work itself. But when I put things off more and more, I actually feel more stressed out about them.

I understand how you feel, about being a failure in front of everyone. Just remember other people have felt the same way--the other day in class a classmate of mine presented and her voice was shaking from adrenaline...many of us suffer from these things.

 

[phantastica]

i'm a procrastinator. (who isn't.) and it's worse, if i am scared of the event i have to prepare for. my personal hell were/are oral exams, because i have a hard time conversing, explaining something is even worse; and than being alone with the prof and not wanting him to think you're an idiot. i always took it very personal. the first one i had was horrible, i totally froze and as the fear of the next one grew, procrastination got worse. so i sympathize.
i guess rationally you know, that one bad presentation doesn't mean you're incapable. it sure was unpleasant, but as i understand, you did some before that went well? they count at least as much as the one, that didn't go well. it might help, if you think of those while preparing. you can do it!

(at procrastination: Structured Procrastination )

 

[tenuous~hold]

it often seems like the worry about something is worse than the thing itself. it's like the putting off of things are what doubles the anxiety.

i know this myself, & i also know that sometimes it's just better if i get off my *ss & deal with what i'm worried about..... but i still end up putting the same kind of stuff off, again & again.

some people can push themselves into action. i have a hard time with that quite often. i'd rather just go veg out. i feel better when i get stuff done, but i just can't force myself - especially this time of year.

 

[billyjoe]

I have failed classes over this kind of thing, I've just resolved myself to the fact that any class presentation i simply will not do, and the hit i take on my class grade is a necessary evil. I haven't done a class presentation since middle school, and i remember how bad it went back then. Sometimes its best to save yourself the embarrassment and resulting lower self esteem and just not do it. I have walked out of classes when asked to answer a question out loud. Maybe my opinion is not valid but like i said, i would save the torment for the sake of better mental health.

What i used to do (in college) was just do the assignment the best i could in an essay form, turn it in early and not show up for the presentation. i usually was able to get at least 50% credit this way, and many times i could pass the class this way. By me knowing i would not present it gave me so much more motivation to get it done.

If you have done this kind of thing recently then maybe your not so bad off, but if it were me i would skip out, like i said, knowing you wont present it tremendously increases motivation.

 

[Lexington]

I've got a presentation due next week and I am very anxious about it. Worried about my monotone voice. My fear of eye contact. My fear of coming over as a know-all. My fear of saying something that is incorrect and somebody picks it up and corrects me in front of the others, my fear of being boring, I haven't mastered audio visual yet either, fear of lookig anxious, fear of trying to be funny and sounding like a bloody idiot, fear of fear itself