I have started to work through material relating to my topic of Fear/Nerves.
What I have found interesting is that writers who deal with public speaking cover how crippling anxiety can be. Things as a performer I would have never considered ie people choosing not to progress up the corporate ladder, purely because of their fear of public speaking.
I found an anxiety couch online http://www.anxietycoach.com/performanceanxiety.html who made the interesting distinction between public speaker and performer. He pointed out that both suffer nerves, the difference being the performer has the dilemma that her or she needs to perform. That is the life they have chosen.
He goes on to refer to nerves as "the heckler in your mind." This I think is an accurate analogy. I personally have experienced times when I'm trying to answer back to a destructive voice in my head whilst about to take to the stage.
What was made apparent in this article was that you cannot get rid of anxiety completely. Some people apparently make the mistake of trying to do this. But if you are successful at banishing them in their entirety for one performance, if they resurface in the next performance, the effects on your confidence will be greater. I can see that as a realistic out come.
Instead one approach is to work with your nerves. This is probably what I refer to when I say turning your nerves into a positive force.
David Leisner is a guitarist who also offers way of controlling nerves during performance.http://www.davidleisner.com/guitarcomposer/noname.html Having studied Classical guitar myself, and later giving it up because of nerves- many of the ways nerves manifest in a musician, resonated with me. Speeding up the tempo of a piece, playing wrong notes or not being able to execute correct finger articulation are just a few.
What I have found interesting is that writers who deal with public speaking cover how crippling anxiety can be. Things as a performer I would have never considered ie people choosing not to progress up the corporate ladder, purely because of their fear of public speaking.
I found an anxiety couch online http://www.anxietycoach.com/performanceanxiety.html who made the interesting distinction between public speaker and performer. He pointed out that both suffer nerves, the difference being the performer has the dilemma that her or she needs to perform. That is the life they have chosen.
He goes on to refer to nerves as "the heckler in your mind." This I think is an accurate analogy. I personally have experienced times when I'm trying to answer back to a destructive voice in my head whilst about to take to the stage.
What was made apparent in this article was that you cannot get rid of anxiety completely. Some people apparently make the mistake of trying to do this. But if you are successful at banishing them in their entirety for one performance, if they resurface in the next performance, the effects on your confidence will be greater. I can see that as a realistic out come.
Instead one approach is to work with your nerves. This is probably what I refer to when I say turning your nerves into a positive force.
David Leisner is a guitarist who also offers way of controlling nerves during performance.http://www.davidleisner.com/guitarcomposer/noname.html Having studied Classical guitar myself, and later giving it up because of nerves- many of the ways nerves manifest in a musician, resonated with me. Speeding up the tempo of a piece, playing wrong notes or not being able to execute correct finger articulation are just a few.
One of his remedies was what he called "Auto Pilot." This is where you relax and let your long term memory take over. This is nothing new. But it did make me question whether this technique only worked for musicians. Does it apply to Dancers as well ? As an actor being on auto pilot is the last thing I want. I need to be in the moment, reacting to every circumstance as it comes.
I have noticed some overlapping in remedies for performance nerves.
Breathing exercises seem to be a physical universal tool for calming nerves and bringing down the heart rate.
On the mental side, many suggest re conditioning your thinking. Example being: remembering people have come to see a performance, and not necessarily you alone. It's about placing emphasis on the external not the internal. I think this is a sound approach. I know many a time I have made it all about me and my fears, my insecurities, instead of just going out there and performing.
Lastly, I just wanted to mention a medical website I chanced upon. A pianist was asking how to get over performance nerves. The doctor said he suffered from GAD (General Anxiety Disorder) and this could be remedied by taking a beta blocker such as Propranolol.
This raises the issue of chemical intervention. I have always assumed that performance anxiety should be dealt with organically. But it seems one option is to treat it like any other mental disorder and throw pills at it.
I admit, during my classical guitar performance exams I was prescribed and took tablets to relax me. Yes I performed in a relax state but I'm convinced my performance would have been more alive had there been a natural surge of nervous energy running through my system. Slightly off topic, so I'll end it there.
I have noticed some overlapping in remedies for performance nerves.
Breathing exercises seem to be a physical universal tool for calming nerves and bringing down the heart rate.
On the mental side, many suggest re conditioning your thinking. Example being: remembering people have come to see a performance, and not necessarily you alone. It's about placing emphasis on the external not the internal. I think this is a sound approach. I know many a time I have made it all about me and my fears, my insecurities, instead of just going out there and performing.
Lastly, I just wanted to mention a medical website I chanced upon. A pianist was asking how to get over performance nerves. The doctor said he suffered from GAD (General Anxiety Disorder) and this could be remedied by taking a beta blocker such as Propranolol.
This raises the issue of chemical intervention. I have always assumed that performance anxiety should be dealt with organically. But it seems one option is to treat it like any other mental disorder and throw pills at it.
I admit, during my classical guitar performance exams I was prescribed and took tablets to relax me. Yes I performed in a relax state but I'm convinced my performance would have been more alive had there been a natural surge of nervous energy running through my system. Slightly off topic, so I'll end it there.
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