DOSE: T+ 0:00	800 mg	oral	Theanine
T+ 0:00	340 ml	oral	Alcohol - Beer/Wine
T+ 2:00	750 ml	oral	Alcohol - Beer/Wine
T+ 4:30	750 ml	oral	Alcohol - Beer/Wine

BODY WEIGHT:

66 kg

I needed something to kill performance anxiety, as we had our debut gig in a few days. The rest of the band have been on stage before, but this would be my first time. The week prior to the gig, I would get these short bursts of anxiety, that would feel like my heart was being zapped, whenever I would THINK about the event that was to come.

Wednesday (the day of the gig, we play at 20:30)
On the day of the gig, at about 16:00 I took two 400mg tablets from the container, meaning to take 1 and put the other one in my pocket to take later, but I absentmindedly took both - thats 800mg L-Theanine.

By the time we went to the pub to do the sound check and stuff I noticed that I was very calm and was NOT panicking at all.
While we were busy setting up I ordered a (340ml) beer from the empty bar...

Later
At around 18:00 I ordered another beer, this time a quart (750ml).
People were actually starting to fill the pub, I was still relatively calm.. But I could tell in the way I conversed with a friend that I was somewhat impatient or something..I didnt feel NERVOUS per se but I was totally relaxed and calm.

At around 20:00 I took another 400mg L-Theanine tablet.

20:30 rolled passed, but everyone decides that we should wait till more people filled the pub. I get another quart of beer.

21:30 I actually WANT to get playing now, I dont want to let the people wait too long. I dont experience alot of anxiety!

21:50 We finally decide to go on stage. I am not scared. Very calm. Though, I must say when I started singing I DID feel a bit nervous. It wasn't too bad at all though.

Conclusion:

The L-Theanine really DID help with anxiety. The amount of anxiety (even if just short bursts of a few seconds) I experienced before the gig, just sitting in the office and thinking of the gig, WAS WAY more than I actually experienced AT the actual gig.

It did NOT make me drowsy. One thing though, I think it might have calmed my personality (and my sense of perception) as well...or maybe I just didnt drink enough beer...but I wasnt VERY entertaining...very chill..(well kinda).

After the gig, I found it REALLY hard to answer the question: 'So, how did your gig go??'

I dont know if it was the L-Theanine that blunted my perception, or if it was just how it is with these things, but it all just kinda felt like a blur. I'm not saying my vision was blurred or anything..it's just I CANNOT TELL you if it was a GREAT show or a SUCKY show! I dont know!

I suppose the fact that there weren't alot of people in front of the stage also had something to do with that? There weren't a lot of people to cheer (or boo!) so I suppose it's hard to gauge the outcome of the gig?

Anyway, L-Theanine works ;-)

Exp Year: 2009	ExpID: 82319
Gender: Male
Age at time of experience: 27
Published: Mar 13, 2020	Views: 2,852
[ View PDF (to print) ] [ View LaTeX (for geeks) ] [ Swap Dark/Light ]
Theanine (413), Alcohol - Beer/Wine (199) : First Times (2), Performance Enhancement (50), Combinations (3), Club / Bar (25)