Performance Anxiety

Performance anxiety is something almost everyone will experience at some point in their life. Whether it’s speaking in public, facilitating a course or training, doing a presentation or more importantly… performing as a musician! Most people suffer from some form of performance anxiety, whether it's just a few tummy flutters or full on stage fright!

One thing you need to know if you have performance anxiety is that you are not alone! It is completely normal and there are things you can do to make performing more enjoyable.While a little bit of nerves is good, when they become overwhelming it may cause problems before and during your performance.

Some symptoms of performance anxiety or ‘stage fright’ may include;

- Trembling in your hands and legs – sometimes a shaky voice

- Racing heartbeat

- Rapid breath

- Sweaty hands

- Dry mouth and throat

- Nausea and butterflies in the stomach

Not only can performance anxiety prevent you from performing well, but it will mean that performing becomes less fun! And half of performing in shows and concerts is because it's so fun right?!

My worst ever experience was when I was singing at the Royal Albert Hall. It wasn't my first solo, but I was at the age where I knew thousands of people were watching and performing started to become scary. I was the first one on stage and my heart started to race so fast, my mouth became dry and I felt so nervous I couldn't breathe. When I started singing, I couldn't stop swallowing, I couldn't stop thinking about messing up, my breathing was all over the place and I hit lots of bum notes. It only made things worse and I wasn't happy with my performance at all. Looking back, it was just the first time I ever really experienced severe performance anxiety and I did so well to keep going! I could have stopped, I could have run off the stage but I didn’t. After this experience, I started to experiment with different ways of coping with performance anxiety.

So the big question is, how can we reverse these effects and get your performance anxiety under control? Here are 7 tips that helped me through my performance anxiety

1. Make sure you practice!!! Having confidence in yourself and believing that you know exactly what you are doing is important and will help alleviate anxiety.

2. Avoid caffeine, dairy and sugar at least 3 hours before a performance. Having these things before you perform (particularly for singers) will cause dehydration, a build up of mucus, dry throat and ultimately it will stimulate your anxiety.

3. Drink plenty of water and make sure you are staying well hydrated!

4. Before your performance do something that relaxes you... listen to music, take a walk, meditate.

5. Try some deep breathing. This will slow the heart rate down to avoid panic.

6. Focus on the positives and not the negatives! If you focus on negative things your body will react to this and will spiral into

7. Try and perform in front of an audience as often as you can so you get used to it, this will 100% help alleviate performance anxiety... even if it is just family and friends! Slowly work your way up to performing in front of more people. You can also try to perform in different venues and doing lives on social media which will give you a wealth of experience in different settings.

A wise man once told me to remember that EVERYONE in the audience is there to see you succeed not fail. So believe in yourself and have fun!