Overcoming Performance Anxiety
All About Overcoming Performance Anxiety
Overcoming performance anxiety can be a tricky task but it most definitely can be accomplished. It is first helpful to understand that this anxiety disorder, also called “stage fright” is the fear or phobia that can be triggered in an individual due to requirements to perform for some type of audience. This could be giving a speech for a lager audience such as at work or even a toast at a wedding or it could be on a smaller more intense, intimate level, sexually with your partner.
Causes
There are quite a few causes that could be resulting in you having to overcome performance anxiety. Stage fright can ultimately occur in anyone at any time due to feeling nervous or a lack of confidence. Public performers will often suffer from it because they are fearful of not being able to meet the audiences’ expectations. A few other associated fears are not knowing what to say or do in a situation, embarrassing oneself or knowing that the audience is picking up on their nervousness. An important component of overcoming performance anxiety is being aware of your own appearance and behavior and determining the cause.
Physical Effects
If you feel nervous or scared, you may begin to experience anxiety. You will know that you are in need of overcoming performance anxiety by the presence of a dry mouth, racing heart, shaky voice, trembling, blushing, nausea or sweating. The Sympathetic Nervous System triggers your body to release adrenaline that causes a chain reaction. The fight or flight reaction naturally occurs by the body to protect itself.
First the muscles in your neck may contract causing the shoulders to come up and the head to sink down. The back muscles then draw the spine to a bit of a concave curve which in turn pulls the pelvis forward resulting in a beginning stage of a fetal position. If your body is trying to resist this then your hands and legs may shake and muscles may contract. Constricted blood vessels can leave you with cold toes, fingers, ears or nose because the blood supply is being directed to vital organs. This then causes your body to begin to overheat, resulting in sweat. Pupils dilate making log range vision improved so although you may be unable to read your notes in front of you, you can see the expression on the faces of those in the audience.
Lastly, your digestive system will shut down so it can prepare to create energy in case of an emergency which is where the adrenaline rush kicks in that also leaves your body with nausea, dry mouth or butterflies in your stomach. These are all things that you will need to deal with when overcoming performance anxiety.
Solutions
Reducing the significance of the other person is the first step in overcoming performance anxiety. When you feel anxious in a public situation you often invest an imagined power in the person that they will evaluate your performance. Increasing your own self worth and power allows you to feel less vulnerable. You also need to eliminate any negative thoughts and not worry about the outcome. You must focus your attention to the present rather than the future when overcoming performance anxiety. It is important to concentrate on the enjoyment of the present and the process it has taken to get there and where it is going.
Being prepared always helps as well. If you have done your homework or you are ready for your presentation, there is less for you to feel anxious about. Also, going for a brisk walk or doing some sort of quick physical activity or stretching is a good way to get the excitement out of your system and then take a few very deep breaths. Overcoming performance anxiety generally will not happen over night and it may never fully go away but understanding what is causing it and following these few steps to defeat it will help you to gain control in a nervous situation.