Riding
Awareness of the outside world. ESPN: Ignore the score and the limp, Tiger Woods had a good walk at the Masters, Thompson, Apr 9, 2022. (Note. I am trying to feel inspired by this rather than a total weenie, given the content below.)
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When I get nervous, I try to use the time figure out why.
A) I am better able to cope if I know why.
B) The fact that I can’t verbalize what I feel is weird in itself. Putting things into words is what I DO. Professionally. Personally. Reflexively. So, I examine what is going on while it is going on.
As the clinic approached, I decided that part of the stress is having to be at a specific place at a specific time. [for clinic, see last week’s posts]
A) Slightly elevated stress is a normal response to schedule demands. Being on time to catch a plane. Knowing you have a meeting at 2:00. This adds a level of attentiveness to any day.
B) This is not something I do often. My schedule does not contain much specificity. Buy feed? Get it done; no one cares when. Doc appt? Get there a bit early; get seen whenever. Riding lesson? At SSF, I generally have solo lessons that occur when I get horse and self organized. I don’t do group lessons that require being in the ring, ready to ride at X:XX o’clock on the dot. (I get a tiny stomach flare even typing that.)
It is a rare day when I have to be at a certain place at a certain time to do things that involve other people. I’m not used to it.
This would explain why I get equally nervous before riding lessons and work interviews.
It is not the entire answer. It is a fraction of the answer.
Onwards!
Katherine
Virtual Brush Box 
After two years of no commitments, deadlines with other people make me semi-tense all day.
ditto.
While I was this way before, the pandemic certainly hasn’t helped.