It is more common than it seems to be and people from any kind of background can suffer from stage fright. Professional musicians, actors, sportspeople, anchorpeople and many more… This is basically a phobia.
Stage fright itself is not dangerous - but it may lead to severe depression and may cause unpleasant experiences. There have been, are and probably will be many known artists, taking a break from everything due to performance anxiety. Fear of failure and having and obsession with the perfection makes it even worse and may damage self-esteem.
Some of the known symptoms of this type of fears are high blood pressure, dry mouth, feeling cold, pain in stomach, trouble in speech, shakiness in hands and knees… But we would like to remind you that just reading an article about stage fright is never enough to decide you have it or not. If you think you have performance anxiety, you should consult to a professional to be sure of it.
As far as we know, there is no known way of preventing stage fright forever. No worries, though! There are small tricks that you can apply to your life if you’re feeling anxious before performance.
First of all, make sure you prepare yourself in the best way you can.
Work ethic eliminates the fear of failure.
Michael Jordan
Never skip your rehearsals and always feel free to ask help from people around you. Whether you’re a musician, a public speaker or coming from a different background, mini-organizations can help you get familiarity with the crowd.
Use positive affirmations! Don’t just think of it - say it out loud. Positive statements like “I will do it.”, “It’s all good” or “I’m a good musician” are scientifically proven to be effective for confidence and performance.
Put those breathing exercises into work. Oxygen is the most essential ingredient of human life. One who is able to control it well, will also be able to control his life as well.
Once you’re on stage, take your time. Time moves faster when you’re excited - or that’s how you experience it. There’s no need to hurry or panic, it’s all about having fun. Take a good look at the crowd and then just focus on yourself.