Posts Tagged ‘panic attacks’
Stage Fright
So, you want to be a rock star!
You are talented, ambitious and are willing to learn, but there is one thing which is keeping you, from showing us, your abilities. You have that dreaded stage fright that is inhibiting you from your dream.. What do you do now?
Let me start by saying that most performers or public speakers, whether they be musicians, actors, teachers or politicians, will most likely have experienced some degree of stage fright in their lifetime. Stage fright is a very natural experience and should not be the reason that keeps you from your dream.
With life experience, comes many negative reinforcements. Most will come from our parents, friends, peers, teachers and the media. The constant bombardment of ‘not measuring up’ to your sibling, peers or neighbor will take a toll on your psyche and self confidence, which in turn shows up in an inability to perform in front of a group.
Some parents will say things like, that isn’t good enough, you can do better. Little words such as these can create a huge problem in the self confidence department. If you are the type of person who has continually encountered these types of slow poisonous words, then you will probably find it very difficult to sing in public or speak in front of your classmates. You might feel numb or feel a sensation of butterflies in your stomach before any sort of public display.
If you have had more than the average negative remarks, you may have a more severe form of stage fright. You could experience severe panic attacks where you feel as if you are having a heart attack. You will feel short of breath, your heart rate will increase and you may feel dizzy, shaky or perhaps even faint. You need to know that you are completely normal. You are not a freak of nature, and most importantly, you don’t have to live with this for the rest of your life.
Being an artist means that you have to communicate with your audience via whatever medium you choose. That’s it! Learning to change the way you perceive yourself will be the beginning of your cure. In essence, change the way you think and you can conquer whatever fear it is that you have.
I can’t cure your stage fright. This is something that you will have to work on. It will take time and energy to change your nervous system’s response to your fear, but it can be done if you stick with it.
I can start you off with a few pointers however:
First, we have to understand that negative statements from your parents, siblings, teachers, peers and so forth have nothing to do with you. It’s all about them and their inability to communicate on a higher level with you. The quicker you come to this realization, the shorter your road to recovery will be.
2. Try directing your communication to one person instead of a mass. When you direct your communication to one person, especially if it is someone with whom you feel comfortable with, you will have a much easier time. If that person isn’t present, pretend that they are.
3. If there isn’t anyone around that you feel comfortable with, try making up a personality and direct your art at that fictional figure. You must believe that this fictional character is there, otherwise it will be a complete waste of time.
If all these steps are a bit too hard for you, you may want to try directing your art at yourself, and no one else. You need to have an entity for the message you are delivering, even if this entity is yourself. Remember that this is only a message that you are delivering and not a motive for you to be judged. Once you have mentally blocked yourself from being judged, you will find that a lot of the pressure will ease.
When delivering your message, you as an artist must also deliver an emotion. Look at the song, play, presentation that you are delivering and think about the emotion that the message is trying to convey, and try to illuminate the emotion. It could be humor, anger, understanding, pain or anything really. You will find that people will be more willing to listen to you, if you touch them in some way.
4. If none of these things do it for you, try pretending that you are someone else. It could be a certain singer, actor, public speaker or that extroverted classmate who’s personality you secretly admire.
These are just a few ideas on how to ease the much disdained feeling of stage fright.
Lastly, you will be much better equipped if you as an artist accept your reason for your act as a form of communication and not a motive for judgement, . Your posture will improve as will your voice. Your self-consciousness will slowly begin to dissipate and turn into a different consciousness, which ultimately will turn your stage fright into a presence on stage…