Member-only story
MENTAL HEALTH | PERFECTIONISM
I Couldn’t Sleep the Night Before a Presentation
I laid in bed awake the whole night, stressing out about how I needed to sleep to do well on the presentation the next morning
It’s the night before a presentation with the Vice President of my organization.
I laid in bed and checked the clock. 1:30 AM. I’d been lying in bed for two hours already, anxiously waiting for sleep to come, but it eluded me.
My body was gripped with anxiety, stuck in fight or flight mode. My neck and back were stiff. I kept turning my head left and right, trying to find a comfortable position, but it didn’t help.
“What if the VP asks a question I can’t answer?”
“What if I don’t have time to print my notes beforehand?”
“What if I can’t find the PowerPoint presentation?”
“What if my alarm doesn’t go off and I’m late?”
“What if I wear the wrong clothes to the office?”
Numerous worst-case scenarios flashed before my eyes. Each thought caused a new surge of cortisol to run through my veins, amping me up.
