Alcohol helps me. Trick is drinking just enough to loosen up without killing my finger coordination.. 2 coors light right before I go on is my recipe. I donāt get stage fright per se but just a bit of nerves and I find I play too stiffly. Couple beers I loosen up and have way more fun even if my technique suffers a little bit.
Of course, but very much in moderation; 1 drink per evening with dinner or towards bedtime, per doctor's orders. (Half glass wine, or 1 beer, seldom a gin or tequila w/ club soda/lime). Since my former open-mic folded back in 2014, the social drinking discontinued, but I prefer to enjoy relaxing at home and a drink.
Now that Iāve read the rest of your posts I can certainly see the intent of the OP.
That is something Iāve spent the better half of my life focused on and Iāll defer back to meditation as thatās what ultimately allowed me to change my perspective and view my life and self as abundant. I would imagine you would find a lot of Buddhism to be quite interesting as they are many aspects of it that very much get into the duality of life, good/bad, full/empty, etc. Those teachings are really what got me through the last two years of my life.
In the past couple months Iāve started doing some reading on dzogchen, which is a non-duality/singular way of thinking that Iām trying to wrap my head around a bit more. I think in essence, the very, very general idea is that once you come to embrace the empty as much as you do the full, youāre coming from a dzogchen POV, but I havenāt gotten into it enough to discuss it without sounding like a moron.
I appreciate your mindset regards seeking inner peace. I try to do the same, but from a scriptural studies POV. Sometimes, what I discover during the process has a much greater encompassing view when seen envisioned from several viewpoints. (That's my analytical training.)
My feeling is that things that enhance one's life, like seasoning foods in the right amount, are all ingredients of how we take in and process what we view and read. (You can tell part of my training is cooking). When you suggest meditating, in one sense, I take in what I view and read, digest it, absorb it, meditate about it, and then try to apply what I've previously learned. There's a lot of placing oneself in the scenes of what I read, much like my post about the Cherokee Grandfather. Some of my inner peace I derive from simple principles of what I've studied. Many of my local friends also have a similar view.
I try to think that what I take in is much more than "word salad" that has deeper meaning. Although much of my current study involves very serious topics, there is very much humor when trying to make it more palatable to the common listener. Fortunately, my vocabulary is much better than someone who writes "word salad." LOL.
I've not heard of dzogchen myself, but I'll look it up. I personally try to avoid stuff like transcendental meditation, because my studies have suggested it can open pathways to the demonic realm. FTR, I'm not speaking from personal experience, just what my studies have suggested I should try to avoid. I probably don't mind, however, spending a few minutes of clearing my thoughts and some focused deep breathing to relax with.
I've also discovered that a lot of seeking inner peace also involves maintaining a positive view of the future. No, not Star Trek, nor some science fiction. A lot of what matters to me is a hope for a better world in the future. There are many scientists who are very much concerned about the future, but much of what I study is dependent on the strength of my faith. Like you, I searched for ways to cope with my negative emotions because I wanted a better life, researching various belief systems and some self-help books. I even spent time doing some soul-searching with a therapist to help work through the emotional baggage.
Yet, there wasn't anything that worked consistently. Yet, in 2006, I was introduced to something I'd not been aware of before, and after a couple years of study, it became my way of life. And then strange thing is, as I've gained experience with my studies, some of what my comments are when my "friends" study together are insightful and sometimes are glimpses of what we study in the future. It's more than coincidence, it's pretty darn cool to see one's words show up in one of our articles that I answered several weeks prior. And, I've seldom if ever looked into future articles that would indicate I "peaked" at our notes beforehand.
Anyway, I'm sure I've said way too much and have you folks snoring at this stage.
Regards the stage fright, though perhaps the best teacher for me is to look to my personal past history to understand where I've succeeded, and failed, and then ask why? How can I apply life's lessons from history? What principles can I adopt that don't go against the "law," nor cause division or conflict?
Perhaps by seeking inner peace, one can also exude a peaceful personality that helps people appreciate the importance listening to that inner voice that directs your thoughts and actions. If one has studied well, you'll know within yourself what produces good results, and what doesn't. Perhaps its the decisions we make after consulting what we've previously studied, for direction and guidance.
Sorry if this sounds a lot like preaching to you. It's part of what I know and speak to my local friends about regularly, and is what I enjoy doing when not occupied with separate responsibilities. Thank you for reading, and enjoy the rest of your evenings...
