Performance

Anxiety 101

Everything I Wish I
Knew Sooner
What is Performance Anxiety?
The Fear of Performing
 State Anxiety & Trait Anxiety
State Anxiety: Trait Anxiety:

-Characteristic
-Situational Anxiety
-Generalized Fear
-Perspective
Ex. You have
Ex. You were bitten generalized anxiety.
by a dog. You now Therefore, you have
are afraid of dogs. both rational &
When you see a dog, irrational fears of
anything and
you are afraid.
everything that
occur daily.
Where Performance Anxiety Can Stem From
● “Stage Fright”
● Generalized Anxiety
● Trauma & Trauma Induced Performance Anxiety
● Environmental Factors
“Stage Fright”
● Can be argued that Performance
Anxiety is not Stage Fright, but Stage
Fright can be Performance Anxiety.

● Anxiety is a mental disorder that

Can be accompanied by other
comorbidities such as depression,
trauma, or PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress
Disorder).
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
● Underlying Mental Disorder
● Can be a genetic predisposition
● Can be challenging to manage and
therapy with a licensed psychologist
or psychiatrist is recommended.
● Symptoms Experienced at any time:
Extreme worry or anxiety that may be
rational or irrational, excessive tiredness,
difficulty sleeping, racing thoughts, etc.
Trauma
● Can be related or unrelated to
Performance. However, performance related
trauma may be more difficult to overcome.

● Trauma including but not limited to:

car accidents, performance incidents, abuse of
any kind, medical trauma, etc.

● Also recommended to handle with a

licensed professional.
Environmental Factors
● Can include, but is not limited to:
Personal Relationships, School Stressors,
workplace stressors, andor financial
struggles/stability.

● Important to identify triggers so

you can learn to cope with these situations.
 Other Elements that Contribute to PA
There are also the factors that contribute to one of these types, especially the
psychological side of PA:

● Pressure from parents/family members

● Unsupportive and tough teachers
● Perfectionist personality traits
● Lack of confidence
How come our bodies react the way they do?
Anxiety Stimulation = Fight-Flight-Freeze
Important Parts of the Brain:

● Amygdala
● Hypothalamus
● Autonomic Nervous System
Autonomic Nervous System
Two Parts of the ANS

● Sympathetic Nervous System

○ Fight-Flight-Freeze
○ Preps Body for Emergencies
○ Signals the release of Cortisol &
Adrenaline from the Adrenal Glands

● Parasympathetic Nervous System

○ Calms & relaxes the mind and body
Body-wide Changes = Symptoms of Performance Anxiety

● Physical Symptoms: Shaking or tremors, racing heart beat, upset

stomach/nausea or vomiting, sweating, dry mouth, elevated blood pressure, etc.

● Psychological Symptoms: Negative thoughts, avoidance, irritability, brain fog or

forgetfulness, excessive worrying, caring too much about the audiences
opinions, or worrying about what they think, increased amount of musical
errors, etc.
How does Performance Anxiety impact our level of
performance?
It depends on the level of severity.

● Sometimes your performance ability is only mildly affected. Maybe you lack a little focus, or you
suffer from a small tremor, but it’s manageable enough that you still perform well.
● Other times, the anxiety is so severe that the shakes may show up in your sound, leaving you with a
lack of control over your instrument. Or your mental and emotional state lacks stability and you
refuse to go on stage, or forget the words to the song, or begin to make major mistakes that have
never happened in the practice room that you become more frightened, and leave the stage.
● Sometimes the anxiety can be so bad that musicians avoid
performing, or even eventually quit.
What Can I do to help myself?
Begin looking into relief methods and resources. I’ve listed some of the best and
most recommended below:

-Adequate Preparation
-Yoga
-Meditation/Visualization
-Alexander Technique
-Breathing Techniques
-Don Greene Performance Success & Fight Your Fear and Win
-Tim Gallwey The Inner Game of Tennis
-Other Sports Psychology books
-Beta Blockers
-Natural Beta Blockers such as Bananas
-Therapy
Adequate Preparation
● Have a good practice schedule
● Practice performing
● Practice walking into the room, or on stage.
● Practice public speaking
● Practice starting each piece
● Play mock auditions
Meditation/Visualization/Yoga/Breathing Exercises
● These practices have been proven to increase quality of life, and decrease stress
and anxiety.
● They help calm the body and help one feel more relaxed.
○ They are great to use when you have an elevated heart rate and need to slow it. These holistic
methods provide results to many that ease the physical symptoms we feel when we are in a state
of anxiety.
● These methods, specifically visualization, can improve confidence and
self-esteem in one. Visualization allows a performer to picture their perfect
performance or audition scenario and feel the weight
and confidence of what it is to be a great performer.
● Visualization is meant to make that vision
a reality.
Alexander Technique
● “A system of body awareness designed to promote well-being by ensuring
minimum effort in maintaining postures and carrying out movements.”
Alexander Technique cont.
● The Alexander Technique must be studied with a certified Alexander Teacher.
● There are so many elements to the technique that reading up is essentially
required during the study. There are elements simple that focus on removing
the excess tension, but there are also elements such as General and Specific
Adaptability that I believe are so crucial to know, especially if you suffer from
Performance Anxiety.
○ What is General & Specific Adaptability? How does it help Performance Anxiety?
Sports Psychology Books
The best and most recommended books:

● Don Greene- Performance Success

● Don Greene- Fight Your Fear and Win
● Tim Gallwey- The Inner Game of Tennis
● Dr. Bill More- Playing Your Best When it Counts

Musicians are also athletes and some of these books while

not specifically written for musicians, can apply very well to
the high pressure situations we face where we have to be at the
top of our game at any given minute.
Beta Blockers
● Are Beta Blockers okay for performance use?
○ They are originally a heart medication used to treat high blood pressure, A-Fib, chest pain, and
even chronic illness conditions such as Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS)
○ The do have side effects:
■ Dry Mouth
■ Upset Stomach
■ Fatigue
■ Dizziness
■ Weight gain
■ Bradycardia (Heart rate under 60bpm)
○ Beta Blockers are not suitable for everyone, especially those with conditions such as Diabetes,
Low Blood Pressure or Asthma.
○ You MUST see a doctor to obtain a prescription
○ Stigma?
○ Do I recommend them?
Therapy
● With any type of anxiety, I highly recommend seeing a licensed therapist.
● Benefits of Therapy include:
○ They can help you figure out and manage your problems and stressors.
○ Therapists offer techniques that you can use in high pressure situations where you might get
nervous, or have extreme performance anxiety.
○ They can help promote one's self-confidence, outlook on life and outlook on performance
situations.
○ They can help you set goals in specific
areas of your life.
Where do I start? What might be right for
me?
There are a million places to begin and the hardest part is knowing what a good
place to start for you is.

● You must identify your symptoms. Are they physical? Are they psychological?
Or do you have a mix of both psychological and physical symptoms?
● Look at your lifestyle. Do you like to move, or are you more
content with sitting in peace? Do you have health
concerns?
Physical Symptoms
(Shakes, nausea, racing heart rate,
sweating, dry mouth, etc.)
● Alexander Technique
● Breathing Exercises
● Yoga
● Sports Psychology Books
● Beta Blockers or natural
Beta Blockers like
Bananas
Psychological & Emotional Symptoms
(Negative thoughts, avoidance, brain fog,
forgetfulness, excessive worrying, irritability,
etc)
● Meditation/Visualization
Natural, holistic ● Yoga
methods such as yoga, ● Alexander Technique
meditation, Alexander ● Sport Psychology Books
Technique, etc. should ● Breathing Exercises
be tried before ● Affirmations
medication use! ● Therapy**
● Adequate Preparation
Sit in peace? Health Concerns?
● Breathing Exercises
● Meditation
● Visualization
● Affirmation
Prefer Movement? Maybe have
spiritual beliefs?
● Yoga
● Alexander Technique
 Websites & Blogs
There are other great online resources as well:

-Bulletproof Musician- Noa Kageyama https://bulletproofmusician.com/

-Musician’s Way- Gerald Klickstein https://www.musiciansway.com/

-Yoga for All Musicians- https://www.yogaforallmusicians.com/

-American Society for the Alexander Technique

https://www.amsatonline.org/aws/AMSAT/pt/sp/find_a_teacher

-Mind Over Practice- Rebecca Karu https://www.rebeccakaru.com/blog-2

Instagram: @mindoverpractice
Questions?
Thank you!

mindoverpractice@gmail.com