Quick Cures for “Getting Rid of the Jitters”!

One of the best books I ever received was given to me as a gift from my late mother’s boyfriend. He would come and watch me skate every Tuesday and then take me to a hearty pancake breakfast afterwards! One day he told me about this book he had and he wanted me to have it. He said it had helped him when he had pool tournaments and thought it might help me…and it did! I still use some of the techniques to this day, so I wanted to share them with you. They are simple yet effective.

The book is only 47 page long and about half an inch thick, but it has some kick to it! The book is simply about getting rid of the nervous feelings and bad thoughts we have right before we hit the stage (or the ice!). The concepts can be applied to just about anything that makes you feel nervous, including public speaking, giving a presentation at work, or even trying a new activity.

As an athlete trains physically to master the elements before him, he must also master his mind, the fears, worries, and falsehoods that can plague and manipulate a success outcome right out of his hand!

The entire book has staying power, but one of the strategies has stayed with me over all these years. It is my quick “go-to” when I need a quick check on my perspective. Many times we approach stage-type scenarios with fear and dread, imagining the worst happening. For some, it could be simply falling during a skating program and others laughing at him, for others it could be stuttering or forgetting their points during a presentation. These are real fears and they take up real time and energy. The book taught me this simple idea: Zap It Down to Size! What does that mean?!?

The idea is to simply take your worst thoughts and fears, stare them down and basically turn them into reality. One of the first questions I ask myself when faced with anxiety is, “What is the worst case scenario and can I live with it?” For instance, if I am taking a skating test, I have fears of falling flat on my face (or worse, on my back!), scraping the ice the entire time, and inevitably failing the test. I recognize those thoughts for what they are, fear and worry.

The likelihood of me falling on my back the way I’m envisioning it is slim to none! I don’t think I could be that animated if I tried! I ask myself, “What are the odds of that happening?” The truth is I have trained myself to take AND PASS this test and my coach wouldn’t have put me out here if he didn’t think I was ready. The odds of these worst-case scenarios happening are low, but let’s say they all happened…the most important question to ask yourself is…”Could I live with it!?!”

Most likely, the answer would be yes. I could live with falling on ice skates in front of others, as I’ve done it before. And, I have failed a test before, survived it, and passed it the next time. Don’t be bullied by your thoughts. Once you accept the worst case scenario, you’ve already won half the battle. You know you will survive, move on, and be successful some other time. Once you have dealt with these pesky thoughts, you are now able to focus on what you should be thinking about and preparing yourself for a successful outcome!

I believe this book is out of print, but it is entitled, “How to Beat the Jitters”, by Dan Zadra with Bob Moawad from publishers, Creative Education, Inc. (1986).

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