by Angelo Auriemma
From college students to retirees, over 40 million adults in the U.S. are impacted by anxiety – nearly a fifth of the country’s total population. No matter a person’s age, occupation, or lifestyle, anyone is capable of struggling with the world’s most common mental illness.
Although actors on stage or screen are often comfortable with being viewed by dozens to thousands of people at a time, basic social interactions can still prove hard to overcome. Oprah, Lady Gaga, Chris Evans, and Jennifer Lawrence are only a few actors to discuss their personal bouts with anxiety.
Theater majors on Ball State’s campus are no exception to this – many of whom find themselves struggling with social or general anxiety despite pursuing a passion for performing. Anastasia Scott, a sophomore studying for a degree in theater, is a perfect example.
“When I was younger, I was really quiet and nervous in front of a lot of people,” Scott said. “Honestly, this is still true now.”
Although being the center of focus for an entire audience may sound horrible for someone with anxiety, Scott believes the opposite.
“I think the difference between being on a stage and being in a crowd is that one has interactions that are solicited, and the other, unsolicited,” Scott said. “On stage, I’m prepared – I have a script and I stick to it. In a normal social interaction, I have no idea what people are going to say or do.”
In agreement to Scott’s opinion, performing’s aid to anxiety is something that makes sense on a psychological level.
According to Anxiety.org, the dorsolateral pre-frontal cortex is the part of the brain that shows more activity among people who describe themselves as prone to anxiety. While performing or improvising, this cortex of the brain takes a break in favor of other parts.
“Between being preoccupied in what I’m doing and not being able to see the faces of the audience, my nerves go away as soon as I’m onstage,” Scott said.
Although performing will not be a solution to everyone’s anxiety, to many actors, Scott included, it serves as a tremendously beneficial break and refresher.
“I still struggle occasionally, but overall, theatre has made a hugely positive impact on my anxiety.”
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