Performance Anxiety

Performance Anxiety

Say Good-Bye to On-Stage Jitters

It has been called the performer's plague. In mild cases the voice wavers and the knees knock. A case of uncontrolled jitters can reduce the most skilled actor or singer to a quivering wreck.

Of course, you don't have to be a performer to get performance anxiety. "Anyone and everyone experiences it," says Dianne Chambless, Ph.D., professor of psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. If you've been through an important job interview, a final exam, a key performance review or a public speech, odds are that you're familiar with the classic signs of performance anxiety: galloping heartbeat, shaky knees, trembling voice and a turbulent stomach.

Understandably, perfectionists are more likely to experience performance anxiety; they put a lot of stock in others' opinions, says Sandra Loucks, Ph.D., professor of psychology at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and the University of Tennessee Medical Center. So does anyone who is running short on self-esteem.

To be fair, performance anxiety can have its up side. In moderate doses it can energize us and motivate us to prepare and excel, says Lenora Yuen, Ph.D., a psychologist in Palo Alto, California.

"There is a very important relationship between anxiety and performance," explains Dr. Yuen. "If there is no anxiety--or very little--performance tends to be lower. As anxiety increases, performance improves--to a point. After a while, anxiety gets too high, and it interferes with performance."

PERFORMANCE POINTERS

The secret, then, is keeping performance anxiety under control. Here are some suggestions.

Envision success. If you have just minutes to go before delivering a speech or taking an exam, breathe deeply and relax with some soothing imagery.

"Imagine yourself performing the task well, and imagine yourself and your family celebrating the outcome afterward," suggests Dr. Loucks.

Make it vivid. Envision yourself as you would appear if you were seeing yourself in a movie, suggests Dr. Chambless. Watch yourself as you deliver that rousing oratory or zip through those test questions with ease. Then watch as you toast your success with your loved ones. This will not only put you in a positive frame of mind, but also boost your confidence and calm you.

Or try another channel. As an alternative, see yourself in a completely different and serene setting, like a thatched hut in Fiji, suggests Dr. Yuen. "Some people find this technique helpful. If you love the ocean, see yourself at the shore. Or envision yourself in a hammock under a tree--any safe, calming place." You'll feel calmer.

Say to yourself, "It's normal to be nervous." If you're about do something unnerving, like making a speech in front of a roomful of people, realize that most women would be unnerved in your situation. Don't knock yourself. "Take into account that this is something that most people are anxious about," says Dr. Chambless. "Realize that it's okay to be a little nervous."

Expect improvement momentarily. Once you get started, performance anxiety usually subsides. If the first sentence out of your mouth during your yearly review with your boss has a tremolo, don't sweat it. "That will settle down," says Dr. Chambless.

Think through potential mistakes. If you have some time on your hands, try to figure out exactly what you are afraid of, Dr. Loucks suggests. Is it the failure or the success? What consequences in particular? Then figure out what you would do if those consequences came your way and then envision yourself doing just that. Visualizing yourself handling even the worst-case scenario will help you to get the anxiety under control.

"Let's say, for instance, that you imagine yourself forgetting what you're going to say in the middle of a speech," says Dr. Yuen. "You could then imagine reminding yourself, the way a soothing parent would, that no one is perfect, that you don't have to be perfect. Then envision yourself picking up the next phrase of the speech and going on."

Be prepared. "There is no substitute for being prepared," says Dr. Loucks. "Rehearse--no, overrehearse--your performance until it's so natural, so automatic, that later, you don't have to spend a lot of time or energy trying to remember it under more stressful circumstances."