Written by: Belynder Walia, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Performance anxiety is a common problem for many people, but it can be incredibly frustrating for actors and other entertainers. For example, they might have to deal with stage fright before every performance, meaning that they spend a high proportion of their working lives in a state of anxiety. However, it is essential to know that it is not a mental illness and it is a normal reaction.
Some may experience extreme anxiety or stage fright that goes beyond pre-performance jitters. For instance, they may feel nauseated, have knots in their stomach, or suffer from excessive sweating (to name a few).
Having worked with public figures and celebrities, I have seen first-hand what many endure before their performance. That is why I wanted to include some proven methods of coping with performance anxiety that works so that you can accomplish your performance by the best possible means.
1. Practice What Works For You
The rule is simple. The more you practice techniques that help you understand your response, the more confident you become, which helps reduce anxiety. For example, to practice effectively, you could focus on your breathing, an exercise you are familiar with, or something you know will help you.
2. Visualise Success
This is a wonderful technique; I have found that it works when clients visualise success. Believe me; it isn't just some cliché that someone came up with to sell books; it's proven by science to help with performance anxiety in particular! An entire field of study called "mental rehearsal" shows how visualisation can improve athletic performance and benefit people to overcome the fear of public speaking (among other things).
3. Realise That It's Common
Knowing and understanding that performance anxiety is expected can be helpful. Accepting that what you're feeling is common can have a calming effect on those nerves. Many people get nervous before performing in front of an audience, but that's okay, and just knowing that helps you become more accepting of it. The decisions you make about whether to focus on the outcome or to calmly accept that you would rather do your best instead of spiralling are in your control. The more you realise that everyone — including the audience — has these feelings, the easier it will be for you to deal with them yourself. It would be best if you did not feel ashamed or embarrassed about feeling anxious — it happens. It is all about acceptance.
4. Not Everything Is Perfect
If you keep expecting something to go wrong during a speech, it probably will, especially if you entertain the thought for too long. Therefore, it is essential to ensure that you are prepared for the performance beforehand. Knowing you have put the hard work into rehearsing and preparing gives you the confidence you need. There's no guarantee that everything will run smoothly for the first time, but it will get better and better. In other words, don't try anything new or different during your performance — stick with what works and what you know. Don't let it get under your skin if something goes wrong —keep going!
5. Focus on Your Breathing
This is very helpful when working with clients who have performance anxiety. Whenever you are anxious, your body goes into fight-or-flight mode, which causes you to breathe faster and more shallowly than usual. This can cause light-headedness, dizziness, and even physical symptoms such as nausea or chest pain. To calm yourself down, pause. Focus on what you see at that moment, what you can hear, taste, touch and smell, and get back into a relaxed state. Focus on your breathing. Try to breathe through your nose rather than your mouth and take deep breaths from the diaphragm — not just the upper chest area.
6. Use Positive Self-Talk
Most of the athletes I have worked with know that self-talk works wonders for them and is always in their favour. Their focus is solely on the words in their mind. They challenge themselves and work to focus on form and words of encouragement. I know how easy it is to allow negative comments to take over the mind. When nerves bring up negative thoughts like "This won't go well," try replacing them with favourable ones like "I'm going to do great!" Positive thinking will help keep those negative thoughts at bay so you can stay focused on what matters most — getting through the situation with confidence and poise.
7. Try Not to Compare Yourself with Other People
We are often tempted to compare ourselves with other people when on stage, but this will not help you unless you look at it in a positive light. No two people are the same, so there's no point in comparing yourself with others since they may be better than you in some ways and worse in others. The only person you should be comparing yourself to is yourself and your last performance.
8. Let Go of Self-Doubt
Self-doubting thoughts can make it challenging to perform well on stage because they'll distract you from doing your best work. Praise yourself for being in the position you are in at that moment. If you weren't good at what you do, you wouldn't be where you are in the first place. You might think things like "I'm going to mess up" or "Everyone knows that I'm nervous," which will worsen your act. Instead, think of the praise you've received and accept it with thoughts like "I've done this before" or "I know what I have to do, and I am grateful for the appreciation people show towards me."
I have had to go on stage myself to give talks, and it is never easy. Learning how to use tools and practical techniques for you is critical. It is crucial to understand and know yourself well to align and balance your thoughts before performing. Know what triggers you. Identify your symptoms and find solutions that work. Practice those solutions so you know how to deal with stage fright, and you will then be better prepared to identify both the cause of anxiety and the best method you can use to handle it.
When you are self-aware, you are more likely to perform confidently, especially when taking these steps. Even if you still get stage fright, it won't prevent you from doing your best because the buzz and the adrenaline will soon replace that feeling of self-doubt, self-consciousness or embarrassment, and the experience will be more positive than negative. If you make mistakes or forget something important, look for someone who can help you improve your skills and offer you the help you need.
Belynder Walia, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Belynder Walia is a leading Psychotherapist, helping people who need a swift, effective solution to a current problem that negatively impacts their lives. She's worked with a wide variety of people, from stay-at-home carers to experts and celebrities in the public eye. Having suffered from Perinatal Anxiety, she focuses on enabling others to learn, heal and grow from pain. Belynder is the founder of Serene Lifestyles, an online and on-set psychotherapy practice at www.serenelifestyles.com. Her ground-breaking methods include a combination of Psychotherapy and Neuroplasticity to help align the THREE Brains (the head, heart, and gut). She's in many publications, including Forbes, Cosmopolitan, Harpers Bazaar, The Moment, Planet Mindful, and Thrive Global. She’s featured on the front cover of Passion Vista as one of the women to look up to 2022. Belynder is also writing her first non-fiction book, to help people radically change their minds to change their lives.
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