How to Overcome Performance Anxiety and Stage Fright...in Seconds
You're about to go on stage. Your heart is racing. Your hands are shaking. Your stomach is flipping. Your underarms are sweating. Your mouth is dry and your throat is tight. You're frozen in place, but you want to run away. What was that first line again? You've been so worried about your performance that you've been snapping at everyone around you. Is this a panic attack?
Whether you're a dancer, a singer, a musician, an athlete or a public speaker, the effects of performance anxiety can strike hard. For some, the anxiety is so debilitating that it stops them from performing altogether. But it doesn't have to be that way. There are ways to reduce, and even eliminate performance anxiety altogether. Today, I'll show you a way that takes mere seconds.
But first...
What exactly is performance anxiety?
Performance Anxiety is a fear about your ability to perform a specific task. It's fairly common, affecting around 20% of Americans. For an athlete, that task might involve scoring a goal (or preventing one). For a performer, it may involve doing a skit or singing a song. And for a public speaker, it might involve standing in front of an audience and delivering a speech.
The standard advice for reducing performance anxiety
You've probably seen this advice before:
Practice so you're prepared...
Limit caffeine and sugar...
Shift your focus from yourself, to the enjoyment you're providing those in the audience...
(So far, so good)...
But then, there's also:
Get therapy (yes, because I have exactly 5 minutes before I go on stage, let's call a psychologist)!
The "medicinal" treatment (because being intoxicated is definitely going to improve your performance - not)!
And of course, there are these gems:
Don't worry about what could go wrong (that's like saying, "Don't think about a pink elephant!"), and...
Avoid thoughts of self-doubt (as if you could actually control this).
But, wait - could you actually control self-doubt and stop worrying about what could go wrong? Yes. With the right tools, YOU CAN!
How to overcome performance anxiety - IN THE MOMENT YOU NEED IT!
I'm not saying you shouldn't prepare properly...but I want to show you what to do when you're about to go on stage (or out on the field) and your heart starts racing. How to get those anxiety symptoms to dissipate and leave so you can focus and perform your best!
In order to do that, let's first get really clear about where all of these symptoms come from.
It feels like it starts with anxiety, but in truth, it starts way before then.
See, going on stage, on its own, doesn't produce fear or anxiety. Speaking in front of 1,000 people doesn't either. And neither does playing an instrument or singing a song in front of someone who might control your future career.
It's the meanings you give that performance that causes the anxiety.
Meanings like,
"I won't be good enough."
"I'll fail."
"They'll think I'm terrible."
"I'm gonna mess up."
...and more.
The meanings your mind comes up with in the moment determine how you feel about the situation.
If instead, your mind came up with, "This is going to be so much fun," or, "I can't wait to get their feedback so I can improve," you wouldn't feel anxious. You'd feel excited. But don't worry. I won't tell you to spend 5 minutes forcing affirmations into your head, because that won't work anyway.
Here's what will work: you can actually DISSOLVE the meanings your mind assigned the event. And when you do that, the anxiety falls away on its own. Give it a shot and see for yourself.
You can do what I'm about to show you in your head, but I recommend trying it out on paper the first few times so you can get the hang of it.
How to dissolve anxiety in three simple steps:
Here's a quick overview:
Separate the event from the meanings that cause the anxiety and note the feelings.
Come up with other possible interpretations of the same event.
Notice that the event is out there in the world...but the meaning is in your mind.
Now, let's walk through it.
Let's say you're about to go on stage and perform. You feel anxious and the physical symptoms are making themselves known.
STEP 1:
EVENT: performing on stage
FEELINGS: anxiety. Sweaty palms. Fast heartbeat.
MEANINGS: I'm going to mess up. They're going to hate me. I'll be booed off the stage. My career is over!
STEP 2:
OTHER POSSIBILITIES:
they're going to love it
they'll hate it, but they won't hate me
some people might boo...but some people will cheer for me
it's true - my career is over, but I'll end up starting my own business and becoming a billionaire, so it's not all bad.
Hopefully, you noticed the humor in that last one. These possibilities don't need to be realistic - they just need to be other possibilities to the meanings your mind automatically assigned the event.
STEP 3:
Can you see that the event out there in the world, and the meanings your mind gave it are two separate things?
And if you see that, what else do you notice?
After you practice this a few times, try it out before a performance and see if you can't get on stage feeling much calmer and a lot less anxious!
I teach this technique in detail in my free video, HOW TO DISSOLVE NEGATIVE EMOTIONS IN SECONDS where I show you how to instantly dissolve meanings that cause you to feel anxiety, frustration, hurt, guilt or shame. Go grab it now!
And if you'd like 1:1 help to change the behaviors and emotions that aren't serving you, reach out to me here.
