Do You Suffer with Stage Fright?
When you sing, do you suffer with trembling knees, or dry mouth, sweaty hands or butterflies in your stomach? Would you rather pull the covers over your head, than stand up and sing for a crowd?
You are not alone. Many people suffer from performance anxiety. It can be debilitating and it can prevent you from singing and doing what you enjoy.
Performance anxiety can negatively affect your self-confidence. Over time, issues with performance anxiety can even result in lower self esteem.
The great news is that it is possible to overcome performance anxiety! There are lots of things you can do to reduce your anxiety and to help you gain control of your emotions:
Understanding the Physical Response
It’s important to understand what’s happening to your body when the anxiety sets in. Your body doesn’t decipher what type of fear performing is. It reacts to fear of singing much the same way as it would if you were being attacked. Your body's "fight-or-flight" mechanism activates which is why symptoms of stage fright and performance anxiety are similar to symptoms that would occur if you were in real danger. This flight-or-flight mechanism is called the Sympathetic Nervous System. In this mode, the blood gets taken away from your digestive system and goes straight to your muscles. We evolved to have this built in defence mechanism in case we were attacked by predators, helping us to run, fight and survive.
The Symptoms
The symptoms that you are experiencing have a physical cause. The butterflies in your stomach/nausea is the blood leaving your stomach. In the sympathetic mode, you don’t produce as much saliva, so you may feel as though you have a dry throat. Are your knees knocking together? Do you feel wobbly? When muscles are receiving more oxygen-rich blood, the initial state feels unstable.
Understanding what you are physically experiencing in performance anxiety moments is one step in gaining control of your reaction.
What Can Help?
The first step in controlling performance anxiety is to take a lesson and sing with a supportive & knowledgeable singing teacher. Every time you perform, it will be easier than the previous performance. Confronting your fears and vulnerabilities and accepting yourself for who you are is the one of the first steps toward overcoming performance anxiety.
Here are FIVE TIPS for calmer performances:
Stand up straight with your head level and your shoulders slightly back. Having good posture makes it easier to breathe.
Have warm water nearby to combat the dry throat.
Focus on your breathing. Breathe in through your nose and exhale. Make sure your exhale lasts longer than your inhale.
Be sure to thoroughly know your music and lyrics. Being solidly prepared helps to alleviate anxiety.
Practise! Performance anxiety stems from a lack of belief in our abilities. The more you work on something, the more confident you will become.
Remember this. No one expects you to be perfect. It is completely OK to make mistakes.
Get in touch today to help you overcome your performance anxiety. I’d love to guide you through the many tools of calm performances and help you redirect your thoughts about performing in public.
Together we will find technique and solutions and have you performing with confidence in no time!
