view original here
However, these are not the butterflies that have been plaguing me this week. The common term for that nervous feeling in the pit of your stomach doesn't seem to quite cover the dumbo sized things flapping around in my gut! I spent sometime today wondering why we term nerves 'butterflies'; is it as simple as the fluttering feeling you get in your stomach. Or does it run deeper than this, is it linked to the anticipation that comes with nerves, the anticipation that comes from the transformation the caterpillar goes through to become a stunning piece of animated art, produced by nature?
Either way I am not sure 'butterflies' is a great description for that nervous feeling that turns your own body into a traitor. Under it's influence your heart does stupid flips catching your breath in your chest, making you look like a gasping idiot. As the effects spread, your legs turn to jelly, your hands sweat, then start to shake, making it impossible to do anything. Finally it spreads to your mind and it begins to tell you that you are not as good as you think you are, sentences become difficult to form coherently, made ever worse by the speed with which you begin to talk. All in all a horrific process and the term 'butterflies' is too mild and too beautiful a word to be linked to it.
Are you affected badly when nerves hit? Or do you deal with them easily? How do you deal with them and remain functioning through the fluttering?
There are times when butterflies is a good description. Other times, I get real anxiety and then I'm not good for much. I try deep breathing, but it doesn't always work.
ReplyDeleteI am glad that my nerves have to be really bad to affect my breathing. The thing gets me more is the sense of not owning my own legs!!
DeleteMy weekend wonder revisits this, when I get round to typing it up :-)
I get nervous too and repeatedly trip over my words! Haven't been nervous for a while but just found out I might have to undertake a competative interview to keep my job so I'm sure the "dumbo" butterflies will be crashing round my tummy x x
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you will do fine chick. You are good at your job, you will rock it! I would like to say, 'breath deep' or some other pearl of wisdom to battle with dumbo, but I'm sorry I've got nothing! They completely defeated me this week, but it worked out anyway ;-)
DeleteI've done my share of battles with anxiety--way beyond nervous butterflies. It waxes and wanes, but at its worst, was truly just horrible.
ReplyDeleteI hope the days of your worst anxiety are behind you for now.
DeleteI don't usually suffer this badly, until last week!
(PS thanks for the follow!)
The bit that's hardest for me is where you describe your breath catching, making you look like a gasping idiot. That's me. Any time I'm caught off guard this happens, whether I'm nervous or not, and then my gasping makes me nervous. Haha :)
ReplyDeleteIt's weird how nerves affects our most basic brain functions, and irritating too!!
ReplyDelete