For some musicians, performing is what they live for. Getting out there in front of a crowd gets their blood pumping and they genuinely enjoy every performance. For others, performing gives them crippling anxiety.
Performance anxiety, also known as stage fright, is the fear of getting up in front of people and performing. Some musicians are so terrified that they won’t have a satisfactory performance that it ends up stopping them from going onstage at all.
If you want to be a successful musician, you’ve got to be able to perform. There’s no way around it. Thankfully, overcoming performance anxiety is possible. Try these five things to push through performance anxiety and put on great shows every time.
Reframe Your Anxiety
Performance anxiety doesn’t have a chance if you commit to changing your mindset. Yes, performing in front of people can be nerve-wracking. You’re wondering what they think about your music and are scared to death they won’t like your performance.
But what if you changed your perspective? Instead of thinking about how nerve-wracking performing can be, see it as another opportunity to become better at performing and less nervous for the next one.
Instead of thinking people will dislike your music and performance, remember that many of them are there to see you because they already know who you are and like your music. In fact, one Harvard Business School study demonstrated that reframing your anxiety as excitement about the performance using self-talk strategies can actually make you perform better.
Work on changing your mind about performing and focus on the positivity it can bring to you and your career.
Actively Improve Your Self-Esteem
In addition to working on your mindset, you want to actively improve your self-esteem. Low self-esteem can hinder your job performance. It can also lead to negative feelings of anxiety, stress, and loneliness, not to mention an increased risk of depression.
So, improving your self-esteem is crucial. Doing so will help you feel more confident in your musical talent and on stage. It will also help you change your internal dialogue so that it’s inherently positive and supportive, keeping you going through tough performances.
You can improve your self-esteem by:
- Avoiding self-criticism;
- Practicing being assertive;
- Focusing on what you’re good at;
- Staying on top of your appearance;
- Surrounding yourself with positive people;
- Being aware of your negative thoughts and disproving them;
- Working with a counselor or therapist to address self-esteem issues.
Take time every day to work on your self-esteem and your performances will be that much better.
Learn to Manage Anxiety
Anxiety, generally, affects millions of people. But that anxiety can worsen in situations you deem stressful, performing included. Also, there will be times when you feel like you’ve got your anxiety under control but as you inch closer to your performance, it suddenly creeps up on you.
You need quick techniques for managing anxiety to help. Try the following to manage anxiety when you only have a short amount of time to get it under control:
- Stretch
- Get some fresh air
- Try breathing techniques
- Meditate for five minutes;
- Try the 5-5-5 grounding exercise
- Run through a list of positive affirmations
- Take a five-minute walk indoors or outdoors
- Listen to an anxiety-reducing music playlist
- Look at old videos and photos for a quick flood of positive emotions
- Improve your posture to promote a more positive self-image and mood
Learning to calm your anxiety quickly will make performance anxiety much more manageable.
Visualize Your Performances Beforehand
Performance anxiety can make you think about all the bad things that could happen before, during, and after your performance. You imagine everything going bad and can’t help but fall deep into that rabbit hole.
You’ll be a lot better off if you fight off the urge to visualize a bad performance and instead visualize the best performance of your life before it happens. See yourself moving through your songs passionately. Picture an interactive crowd cheering loudly for you. Envision everything happening how you truly want it to.
Doing this exercise before every show will help you bring the right energy and mindset to each one.
Create a Performance Ritual
One of the best ways to overcome performance anxiety is to develop a routine that helps prepare you emotionally, mentally, and physically to perform. In other words, create a performance ritual.
First, think about all the things that help calm you. Think about the activities that boost your mood and put you in a creative, passionate mindset. Consider the practices that help stabilize your emotions and bring forth your confidence. What’s more, you may also want to consider what to avoid before your performance. For example, while caffeine and sugar don’t cause anxiety, they can exacerbate anxiety-related symptoms. This means you might want to skip your coffee ritual if you are feeling more worried or anxious than usual before a performance.
Depending on when you start your performance ritual, you can put together a pretty detailed routine. Here’s an example to get you started:
- Wake up and meditate or do another mindfulness activity
- Eat a healthy breakfast and revisit your schedule for the day
- Listen to your favorite songs while getting your things ready to go
- Eat a light lunch or snack to hold you over during the show
- Get picked up and dropped off at the venue so you can relax on the way over
- Connect with your team and warm up while in hair and makeup
- Take a walk outside after getting dressed
- Pray with your team and do a unique chant
- Recite affirmations right before going on stage
Your performance ritual will be unique to you. Embrace what boosts your confidence and calms you to have the best chance at reducing anxiety before your performance.
You aren’t alone if you’re struggling with performance anxiety. As tough as it may be right now, it’s worth the fight to conquer it to ensure you can perform and share your music with the world. Let the tips above guide you through overcoming performance anxiety.
By Indiana Lee