How to Overcome Stage Fright

Even the most confident performers can suffer from stage fright. Stage fright is common for everyone from Broadway actors to professional presenters. If you have stage fright, then you may start to feel nervous, shaky, or even completely debilitated at the thought of performing in front of an audience. But don't worry -- you can overcome your stage fright by training your body and mind to relax and trying a few tricks. If you want to know how to overcome stage fright, just follow these steps.

Overcoming Stage Fright on the Day of the Performance

1

Relax your body. To overcome stage fright, there are a few things you can do to relax your body before going on the stage. Easing the tension from your body can help steady your voice and relax your mind. Here are a few things you can do to relax your body before your performance.^[1]

·         Gently hum to steady your voice.

·         Eat a banana before you perform. It will lower that empty or nauseous feeling in your stomach but won't make you feel too full either.

·         Chew gum. Chew gum a little bit to ease the tension in your jaw. Just don't chew gum too long or on an empty stomach or you may upset your digestive system a bit.

·         Stretch. Stretching your arms, legs, back, and shoulders is another great way to reduce the tension in your body.

2

Meditate. On the morning before your performance, or even an hour before, take 15-20 minutes out of your day to meditate. Find a relatively quiet place where you can take a comfortable seat on the ground. Close your eyes and focus on your breathing as you relax every part of your body.

·         Rest your hands on your lap and fold your legs.

·         Try to reach a point where you no longer think about anything besides relaxing your body one part a time -- especially not your performance.

3

Avoid caffeine. Unless you're normally a caffeine addict, don't have extra caffeine on the day of the performance. You may think that it will make you perform with more energy, but it will actually make you feel more nervous and jittery.

4

Set a "stop time" for your anxiety. On the day of your performance, tell yourself that you can allow yourself to be nervous for a certain amount of time, but that after a certain hour -- say, 3 PM -- all anxiety will go out the door. Just setting this goal and making this promise to yourself will make it much more likely to happen.

5

Get some exercise. Exercise releases tension and gets your endorphins going. Make time for at least thirty minutes of exercise on the day of your performance, or at least take a thirty-minute walk. This will get your body geared for an amazing performance.

6

Laugh as much as you can. Watch a comedy in the morning, put on your favorite YouTube video, or just spend the afternoon hanging around the funniest person in your company. Laughing will relax you and take your mind off your nervousness.

7

Get there early. Show up to your presentation earlier than anyone in the audience. You'll feel much more in control if the room is filling up after you arrive instead of showing up to a full house. Showing up early will also ease your nerves and will make you feel less rushed and more at peace.

8

Talk to members in the audience. Some people like to sit in the audience and start chatting with people to get more comfortable. This will make you see that the audience members are just ordinary people like you, and will help you manage your expectations. You can also just sit in the audience as it fills up for a bit without telling anyone who you are -- this will only work if you're not in costume, of course.

9

Imagine your favorite person in the audience. Instead of imagining every person in the audience in their underwear -- which can be a little weird -- imagine that every seat in the audience is filled with a clone of your favorite person. That person loves you and will listen to and approve of anything you say or do. That person will laugh at the right times, encourage you, and clap wildly at the end of the performance.

10

Drink citrus juice. Drinking citrus juice half an hour before your performance can lower your blood pressure and ease your anxiety.

11

Recite the words to your favorite song or poem. Falling into a comfortable rhythm will make you feel more at peace and in control. If you feel comfortable reciting the words to your favorite song or poem, you'll feel more comfortable about delivering your lines with ease and grace.

Source: www.wikihow.com