You want to be on stage and give a live performance in front of a crowd. But, you’re nervous and you’re wondering how to overcome stage fright anxiety because that comes with a lot of pressure. It’s understandable that you’re dealing with some form of anxiety.
You’re in the right place, looking for a little extra help to deliver an awesome performance. The following tips will help you become a more confident performer while also remembering that you’re allowed to feel nervous.
You’re doing something brave that requires a lot of hard work, so give yourself some credit. These 20 tips will make sure you’re ready for the performance of a lifetime and every performance after that.
This post is all about how to overcome stage fright anxiety.
STAGE FRIGHT ANXIETY:
1. Remember your “why.”
The moment you step out onto the stage in front of other people, you’re going to be super nervous. This is normal, especially if you haven’t performed in the past. We’ll go over all of the tips you’ll need to be ready, but none of them matter if you don’t know your “why.”
Your “why” is the reason that you get out on that stage despite the anxiety that it causes you. You have a reason and need to sing in front of people. There has to be something inside of you that makes it all worth it, and this is the time to figure out if you have that.
2. Work on creating a stage presence.
People come for the music and stay for the fun. The moment you make people believe you love performing, they will love watching you. Joy is infectious, so, if all else fails, the most important thing you can do is have fun with your audience.
The key to a successful performance is remembering that everyone watching is human. If you make a mistake, keep going and start to involve the audience. Look for a friendly face and smile at them or give them a wink.
Once you start interacting with the audience and having them join in the performance as a collective experience, you’ll forget you’re performing because everyone will be singing and dancing along.
3. Get yourself in front of an audience.
Speaking of people, you need to get yourself in front of people. Go to an open mic night or karaoke bar and show them what you got. At these places, everyone is trying to show off a little and people don’t always have a lot to show off.
They still liven the place up and get people involved in the performance. So, you’ll probably be the best singer in the room and you’ll have the chance to see people swoon over your voice.
This type of audience is ideal for building up the confidence to perform in a location where people might not care whether you’re singing at all.
4. Rely on muscle memory when you get on stage.
Practice your own songs, your party songs, nursery rhymes, and any other songs that you want. But, above all, make sure you practice the song you’re going to perform.
By the time you get up on stage, you should be able to sing that song in your sleep. The more you rely on muscle memory, the more that you can focus on all of the other parts of being the best performer you can be.
5. Practice taking deep breaths.
Breathing exercises help calm the natural response that you’ll experience when you’re on stage and the blood is pumping really fast.
When there’s nothing you can do to calm the feeling of nervousness in your body and mind, deep breathing is the answer. It physically slows you down by slowing your heart rate, which slows down your thoughts so you can catch up.
6. Reframe your stage fright anxiety as a challenge.
The fear of performing is super normal and super common. That’s why not everyone is up to performing no matter how incredible their voices or talents are. The good news is that you’re more than capable of working through this common fear.
Whether it’s a lack of confidence or a lack of experience, you can do some mental preparation. Instead of fearing your performance, think about it as a challenge.
You have the talent and the determination, so you are already defeating your fear by putting the work in. All that’s left is to go out there and perform.
7. Envision a professional singer.
Think of the singer you idolize. Figure out who inspires you to sing like them, find success like them, or be the kind of performer they are.
It could be Katy Perry, John Lennon, Ozzy Osbourne, Michael Jackson, Barbara Streisand, or any other famous musician. Just make sure they inspire you.
8. Maintain good posture.
Practice standing up straight and looking into the audience when you’re not singing passionately into the microphone.
We store a lot of tension and performance anxiety in our bodies without knowing it. So, the simple act of straightening our back can help open our chests, help us to do some diaphragmatic breathing, and relieve the symptoms of stage fright.
9. Find a vocal coach.
Sometimes, all you need is a voice teacher who can give you some useful tips on vocal range and vocal techniques.
You’re handling a lot of stressful situations already, so the next step is to get help and enroll in voice lessons. You can even join vocal groups for safe spaces where everyone understands your own experience.
10. Monitor your mental state.
Take care of your mental health. Yes, your anxiety in the big moment is a natural response to a perceived threat that won’t actually hurt you like your body thinks it will. But, you also are doing something scary by working through one of your biggest fears.
Take time for mental exercises that encourage positive self-talk and give you different ways to regulate your nervous system.
11. Ask a friend or mentor to give you a pep talk.
The people you value in your life can play pivotal roles in helping you get prepared and feel confident in your performance. They may not be able to help you with the physical symptoms of stress and anxiety, but they can remind you that you are ready.
You’ve done the work, followed the practical tips, and, if nothing else, can use your performance as a learning experience for the first time.
12. Try other activities that get you out of your comfort zone.
The first time you perform in front of others should not be the first time you have put yourself into a situation where you end up stressed with a dry mouth.
Instead, get out of your comfort zone and talk to people. Volunteer to solo at one of your group choir performances. Ask people about their stage fright, so they can tell about how it’s a common experience.
13. Prepare yourself for constructive criticism.
Before you take your first step onto that stage, you’re going to deal with the audience member who criticizes like it’s an added benefit of being a singer. That will never be true and that’s a good thing.
But, you can get used to every single time someone comes up with one of the best ways you can improve according to their very expert opinion. The key is to let them talk and only use what’s valuable to improve on your own terms.
14. Remember that there is no real real danger.
Your body is getting you worked up because it’s used to environments where there are a lot of stressors that could kill you. Back when we couldn’t be sure if those berries were safe to eat, it made sense that our brain would send us a warning signal.
Now, when we’re putting ourselves in scary situations because we know they’re worth the anxiety, it’s annoying to still have the warning signal going off.
But, we can work through our anxiety and calm the physical reactions that come with it. When all else fails, remember to focus on breath support and slowing down your breathing.
15. Notice your negative thoughts and challenge them.
Every single time, you get one of those negative thoughts in your head, notice it. You don’t have to start off by challenging them immediately because it takes practice for you to realize you’re even experiencing them, to begin with.
You’re used to your brain talking to you in a certain way, so start working on becoming aware of what you’re telling yourself. Once you start to pick up on those negative thoughts, start questioning them because they’re not true and they’re based on fear.
16. Get your best friend to attend your performance.
One of the best ways to instantly feel better when you’re terrified while performing is to look for a friendly face in the audience. Find the friend who you asked to come see you.
They’re going to smile with the most positive body language of anyone in that show and you deserve it. Accept the support while you hit that high note.
17. Work out your nervous energy.
Move and shake out that energy. Plan a workout before your performance or even take five minutes to do some jumping jacks. Or you can actually shake it out by shaking your body.
It sounds silly, but this top tip will get you feeling settled and prepared to demolish your performance.
18. Do regular practice to get your music down.
When you find out that you’re going to perform, the next step you should take is practicing your music. You cannot practice too much, so keep in mind that this is the most important thing you can do when dealing with performance anxiety.
This is where you work out the kinks in the performance and use the next time you practice to get it that much closer to the performance you want on stage.
19. Set a timer and allow yourself to be nervous.
The first thing to do when you feel yourself getting stressed and you’ve done all of the breathing exercises, you’ve practiced your heart out, and you still feel uneasy is to set a timer. Let yourself feel the anxiety because there’s nothing inherently wrong with it.
It’s designed to keep you safe and it’s working overtime. A timer is a great way to indulge the feeling just enough that you let your body do its thing without hurting your performance.
20. Visualize how you want your performance to go.
Imagine public speakers giving a speech. You probably see someone standing up tall at a podium and gallantly speaking to an endless crowd of people. The way that you just imagined someone giving a speech is the same way you’re going to imagine yourself performing.
Be somewhat realistic so that you don’t let yourself down by imagining Beyonce or Taylor Swift concerts when you’re starting. But, also let yourself be really optimistic and even excited. You’re going to do incredible and you should let yourself get excited about that.
