How do I keep from getting the giggles?

[justpaisley]

I was asked to read a responsorial psalm at my friend's wedding in a couple of weeks. Basically, I stand at the altar, read some stuff, and the audience says some stuff in response.

 

I am terrified of getting the giggles, and it's been on my mind constantly since my friend asked me. I've almost called him several times to ask him to find someone else to do it. I even had a nightmare about it last night. I'm not a shy person, not afraid of speaking in public, but for some reason, this is just downright scaring me. Now I'm starting to worry that this will become a self-fulfilling prophesy.

 

I got the giggles at my own wedding, and must have giggled for a full minute, which is a LONG time in wedding minutes. Not that I care, but now that's all people talk about, and I'd rather people talk about how my friend's wife was beautiful, the wedding was lovely, the reception was fun, not "wasn't it funny when that girl got the giggles in the middle of the psalm?"

 

Please give me some suggestions. I'm hoping the fact that I've spent every wedding other than my own crying like a baby will make the difference.

[Honey Pumpkin]

Practice I think is the answer - try getting a group of people together and reading the psalm aloud to them; friends and family, say about 10 - 20. It's about breaking the nervous response, and honestly, there is nothing better than practicing and so on.

 

Also visualisation is terrific - imagine you're reading the psalm, see how confident and meaningful you're making it, not a giggle in sight, just confident and relaxed. There are some great tapes out there, but I think the basic idea is to stand outside yourself in your visualisation and watch yourself making a huge success, and then step INSIDE yourself, and feel how it would feel to be confident and totally non-giggly.

 

You can do this, just takes a bit of practice!

 

Good luck!!

[rocio]

Get someone else to do it. The giggles happen because you're nervous. And you've already psyched yourself into being uncontrollably nervous.