Vikas Malkani,
Founder of
SoulCentre
21st June 2017
Stage
fright can happen long before you even get near a stage. The mere thought of
standing in front of an audience can make your heart flutter or pound, the
palms of your hand get cold and sweaty, and your knees start to shake and your
mouth go dry. Your stomach may even get upset.
Public
speaking is one of our most common fears, being rated above flying, financial
loss, sickness, and even death. The fear can get so bad that some people may become
physically ill before getting on stage. But this fear, often called performance
anxiety or stage fright, is actually about the underlying social psychology of
exposing oneself to an audience.
It
happens to even the most experienced performers and even to ordinary people
going for a job interview. Celebrities
with stage fright include Rod Stewart, Barbara Streisand, Mel Gibson, and Carol
Burnett. World class speakers like Anthony Robbins have admitted feeling queasy
before their first performances and many prominent athletes tend to suffer from
it as well.
Like most
phobias, stage fright is a natural response to situations that are perceived to
be dangerous or somehow detrimental. Psychologists who work with stage fright
patients describe how their inner talk tends to focus on those things that
could go wrong during the performance leading to a potential failure.
Studies
have shown that these fears can be driven by perfectionism, an ongoing
desire for personal control, fear of failure and an intense anxiety about not
being able to perform properly when the time comes.
Psychologists
have also observed that people with stage fright tend to place a high value on
being liked and regarded with high esteem.
Thankfully,
there are a number of things that can be done about it.
Here are
3 ways which will help you overcome your stage fright and performance
anxiety:-
1) MEDITATION – Meditation is the science
of training your mind to serve you rather than to harm you. Meditation is an
ancient process that is scientific and structured and most efficient when
learned from a qualified and capable teacher. By training your mind, you can
overcome the fear that arises out of uncontrolled negative thinking.
Here
are some strategies that meditation offers to overcome your anxiety and stage
freight.
Meditation
Strategy 1
Keep Calm – Because of performance anxiety, people often rush
through their presentation, speech or other performances. As a result, in spite
of knowing everything, they fail to give their best. So keep calm and start
slowly. Give yourself time to get used to the audience and get into you
comfortable pace.
Meditation
Strategy 2
Take Deep Breaths - Be it stress or nervousness, deep
breaths can provide you with that feeling of relaxation. So 5-10 minutes prior
to going on stage, take deep breaths for about 3 minutes to keep yourself
relaxed and calm.
Meditation
Strategy 3
Visualization
- Visualization techniques can be
particularly effective as it creates a positive image in a person's mind about
the desired outcome. Mentally creating images of a successful event, and even projecting
oneself after the successful performance alleviates feelings of anxiety.
Meditation
Strategy 4
Think about it - Visualize yourself on the stage, standing in front
of an audience that’s listening, smiling and applauding you. Think about how
talented you are, and imagine yourself in past performances where you impressed
your audience. Change your point of view and think about how badly the audience
needs the information you want to give them.
2) FOCUS ON THE GIVING NOT THE RECEIVING - Stage fright is not really about the
fear of the stage. It is the fear of being laughed at and judged by the people
who are watching you. In reality, everyone present in the audience is not there
to laugh at you, judge you or criticise you. They are there to watch you
perform and hence you need to give your best shot. So, instead of focusing on
the people and what they are going to think about you, focus on what you have
to present and do it the best way you can. This will ease the pressure which is
already building.
3) PRACTICE MAKES IT EASY - One of the most effective ways
to deal with stage fright is to get on stage as much as possible, regardless of
the discomfort. The more you do it, the easier it becomes.
Vikas Malkani
is a Mind and Life Mastery Coach. Vikas is also an authority on meditation and
mindfulness and has taught its secrets to CEO’s, Hollywood starts, Royalty and
sports champions.
He has been
called the #1 wisdom coach in the world.
Connect with
Vikas at info@soulcentre.org and start creating your
new life!
