Do you ever get nervous before you have to perform live on stage?
The fear you experience may be unjustified in comparison to those with an actual phobia for crowds. It’s called Agoraphobia, and it’s an extreme and irrational fear to avoid situations where one may be subject to humiliation, panic or helplessness. This includes open spaces, malls, public transport etc. Those who suffer from this disorder are unable to leave their own home a lot of the time.
Then there are even more untypical fears, such as the fear of clowns. This fear makes individuals feel shaky and traumatized simply at the thought of a clown. There’s even the occasional police report for an odd looking clown.
An irrational fear of performing in front of people is what’s known as stage fright. Although everyone experiences some degree of fear in terms of performing live, stage fright is much more on the serious side and can be incredibly debilitating towards a performance.
Some of the symptoms include:
- Trembling;
- A dry mouth;
- Lightheadedness;
- Nausea;
- Dizziness.
Those who suffer from stage fright will normally do anything to avoid playing live.
Learning to Enjoy the Stage
Everyone has the capacity to learn to enjoy playing live.
The first step is to realize that the fear and anxiety you may experience is nothing in comparison to some of the phobias listed above. Secondly, you should realize that there are many behaviors that do not come naturally. These include reading, writing, driving, using a cellphone etc.
Human beings are more capable than any other creature to learn new behaviors that may appear to be outside of their natural ability. It’s simply a matter of reprogramming your instinctive behaviors to suit your needs and wants.
There are a few things you can do to make the process easier if you’re just starting out.
- Start with smaller audiences. Playing in front of 2 or 3 people is always a great audition for a larger audience;
- Have a close friend or family member come a long to support you;
- Talk to some of the audience members before your performance. This will help you to accustom to the environment.
