Dealing with Panic Attacks (On Stage and Off)

First of all I would just like to say I am sorry for not blogging in so long I have been insanely busy but I am going to be more active on this blog now I've got a friend to make sure of that. 

But I wanted to talk- well write- about something that I know affects a lot of people and from personal experience I know that I didn't really know where to go for help and even though I had no need to at all I felt like I would be judged for it. There is no need to feel like that at all and I really don't want to sound like I'm preaching or telling you what to do because that is really not what I want  to do but if this helps just one person or makes someone feel better or more understood or more confident then that's awesome.

So "Panic Attacks". A lot of you guys may have heard about them or anxiety which can cause panic attacks, especially if you've heard of Zoella which you probably have, let's face it - she's everywhere. But I'm not going to write about anxiety or the science of what goes on during a panic attack or the chemical reactions and whatnot because I don't know that stuff and I'm not going to pretend to. I am just and ordinary teenage girl and I get panic attacks. I don't have diagnosed or medicated anxiety but let's face it we all feel anxiety at times and especially if you're dealing with the stress of school, or shows, or family problems or friend problems or anything but it's normal to feel this way. It's okay to get stressed to the point of crying. Sometimes you just have to let go of all your bottled up emotions in a way that doesn't hurt anyone, including yourself. It's okay to have days when you just want to put your headphones in and ignore the world. It's okay. And you won't feel like this for the rest of your life.

That being said, panic attacks can affect your life and to say the least, can be pretty inconvenient. I have never been unlucky enough to get one during a performance however I have had them or started to have them just before going on stage. The main trick is to learn not to be scared of them, just learn how to deal with them so that you are prepared for them when the time comes that you need to deal with a panic attack.

I've just listed a few things that I have learnt to do when i feel a panic attack coming on or am trying to recover from one in a short amount of time.

1) Don't Panic

That probably sounds really stupid but if you feel a panic attack coming on and then start to panic about the fact that you are having a panic attack it's not going to make it any better! The best thing is to just tell yourself to breath. If you can only remember one thing just remember to breath deeply and slowly and focus on one thing.

2)Focus

Like I just said, if you can't go outside for fresh air or away from people just pick one fixed point and focus all your attention on that and breathing, tune out everything else until you have calmed down.

3) Water

I will probably mention this in pretty much every 'tips' blog post that I do but whether you are in rehearsals, dance studio, audition, filming set, recording studio or just in school - bring WATER. Water is literally a lifesaver. As soon as you have calmed down enough to think clearly, sip some water and keep breathing (obviously) and keep focus until you have completely calmed down and the attack has gone.

When I am having a panic attack the best thing for me to do is go for a slow slow walk outside in the fresh air but sometimes that's not possible and a lot of the times, if you run out a rehearsal there is a high possibility that the director will send someone out after you and you probably don't want to cause a fuss and I know that I hate having to explain. *DISCLAIMER* These are just the things that work for me and I'm not saying that they will defiantly work for you but I do recommended trying them if you do suffer from panic attacks. Please don't feel like you're alone in this if you need someone to talk to I am here for you 100% and you can find me on twitter @AbbiDabs13 and yeah sorry this was kinda heavy but I just wanted to let you guys know that you are not alone and if you suffer from stage fright then these tips help with that to. 

Hopefully I will be back to weekly or at least bi-weekly posts so I'll talk to you guys soon! As always any comments, questions or requests just leave them in the comments and I'll be sure to get back to you!

Break a leg

Abbi x

How to survive an audition

Before this I should mention that this is mainly based on auditions for theatre such as shows or musicals or plays. I have also attended many TV auditions and castings so I'll do another post about that in the near future.

If you are an actor or like to act then at some point in your acting life it is more than likely that you will do an audition. Whether you get asked to do it, are put forward by someone or put yourself up for an audition, this is an opportunity and you need to grab it with both hands. The acting industry is a difficult one and everyone knows how hard it is to make a name for yourself which is why, if you Are serious about acting, you have to grab every single opportunity that you get presented with. Don't let someone else have a part because they're your friend and they really want it - you have to show people what you can do So that you can go far and get noticed. What if you didn't audition so your friend could get the part and then In the night of the performance they get spotted by a casting director or talent scout - how would you feel knowing that could have been you? Don't get me wrong I am NOT saying that you can't have friends or you always have to put yourself first I'm just saying that you have to take every opportunity you can to get noticed.
Okay So once you have that audition, that opportunity to show people what you can do, what then?

1)Be prepared

You should be prepared before you even know that there are going to be auditions. By this I don't mean that you should know a bunch of monologues from loads of different shows I am simply going to pass onto you one of the best tips that my agent and Stage School director/manager told me. If you are a singer, or sing in shows, then you should have a list of at least three songs prepared at any one time so that if someone wants to hear you sing you don't have to panic you are always ready. The three songs shouldn't just be any three songs. You should have one ballet, one more upbeat and one song that you can sing really really well. If you do musical theatre and it's musicals that you are going to be auditioning for then these should all be songs from musicals. Closer to the date of your audition if you know what show you are auditioning for then it would be a good idea to learn a song from that musical and ideally one from that character that you are auditioning for, just in case they ask for it but they may not.

2)Know the character

Let's say you have an audition for Sandy in Grease. It's all well and good knowing your lines but so that you can give a convincing performance you need to really know that character. If the show you're doing has a film adaptation then get your hands on that and watch your character carefully. Notice how they react to things, what they do when they're not talking, how they sit, how they hold themselves. Take note of their accent as well, if it's high or low and where about in the world they're from, but do bare in mind that this is just one actors impersonation of the role however it is a very good starting point for you and the chances are that if there is a film adaptaion then it is going to be very well known and a lot of people will compare the shows and the actors in the show to the actors in the film.

3)You can never know your lines too well

I know I just said that knowing your lines won't get you a role but it defiantly does help! The director needs to see that you are able to learn and deliver lines as that character otherwise there is no point in casting you. You need to know your lines like the back of your hand so that you are completely comfortable with them and can completely immerse yourself in the character. (I'm also going to be writing a blog post about how to memorize lines so look out for that)

4)Don't over think it

If you over think it then you end up freaking out about it and that leads to panacking and that is NOT good for an audition. You just have to remeber that this probably isn't make or break for you, there will be other auditions and you will have other oppertunities you've just got to try to make the best of this as you can and if it doesn't work out then that's okay and it's not the end of your acting dreams. Think of it this way, if the audition goes well then great! That's amazing! But if it doesn't then you'll have more experiance for next time and you'll know what went wrong and what went right. It's a win win.

5)Warm up

If you only take away one thing from this blog post, it should be to ALWAYS warm up before an audition especially if you are going to be singing. I can also do a blog post full of all the best warm ups to use before auditions and shows if you would like just tell me in the comments below but here are some of my personal favourites.

• Scales and arpeggios (an old classic XD)
• 'S' this is basically a breathing exercise to make sure that you are breathing correctly and are relaxed- if you are tense when singing it can mess up your vocals and that would not be good. 

Also do some facial exercises to loosen your jaw, this helps your singing a lot trust me.

These are my top 5 tips for now, I am going to expand on this list though so keep watching this space! If you have any questions, comments or requests please put them in the comments below and I will reply to all comments :)
Break a leg
Abbi xx