Stage fear or stage fright is a form of phobia or anxiety . This is also known as performance anxiety in general. This is a state of mind where you feel depressed or afraid of a situation when you present before an actual or potential audience. The person who suffers from stage fear feel anxious when speaking or performing in front of a group of people mostly unknown. But the same person can be a brilliant performer in the eyes of familiar people around him. Stage fear or stage fright shares many similar symptoms with other phobias and anxiety disorders. So , ‘stage fear‘ can be technically termed as a form of anxiety.
This is yet a very common situation among the people where it is stated that 73% of the population are victims of this. This situation is triggered by several factors where you feel that you are being judged upon your performance. That is ‘ stage fear’ is comparatively high when you deal with a larger audience than with your intimate groups . And also if you are performing in a competitive environment where people are waiting to judge you , your sense of stage fear goes up intensively. Irrespective of how clever you are at public speaking, still your Stage fear is triggered by external factors.
There are several ways you can easily identify stage fright. The most common symptom is that you start feeling nervous when the actual time gets closer and you tend to become passive and shy . Though you are already fully equipped and ready with your performance and have practiced a lot before, you start worrying unnecessarily about the upcoming event. The person suffering from stage fear feels a lot of embarrassment. Though this is an extremely common situation it is categorized under the social anxiety disorder as it may directly affect one’s social life. Though this cannot be specifically predicted as genetically inherited, in some cases this appears to be genetic.
Getting rid of stage fear have become a most commonly discussed topic nowadays. Can we actually get rid of stage fear? The ideal answer is ‘ Yes ‘. It is true that there are instances where you cannot totally overcome stage fear but still we are capable of controlling it and face the situation with a high level of confidence and a winning attitude. The easiest way of getting rid of stage fear is avoid being in the centre of attention. But it isn’t either the best way or the most successful way. Everyone experiences anxiety differently. So it is difficult to present a ideal common solution so as to how to get rid of stage fear. Yet some effective suggestions could be brought forward which may help you to get rid of stage fear effectively.
- Build up the self confidence in you.
Stage fear is a state of mind where you tend to lose self confidence. Your positive mentality go down at the point of being anxious. You feel less confident at the point of performing. So , if you want to get rid of stage fear the key is to improve your self confidence by engaging in some effective exercises prior to performance. Here you can visualize you ideal performance before you actually perform. Remember to create lively visuals which are positive and encouraging. For an example you can visualize how each word you speak echo in the audience and the faces of people who are amazed with your brilliant performance. You should be able to hear the applause of the audience even. The visuals should be so clear that your mind doesn’t even recognize that you are visualising. You yourself should feel that you are actually on the stage hitting every note and making audience wonder . The mind is an extraordinary powerful tool , if you use it effectively it will be a great support to get rid of stage fear.
And also you can use positive affirmations in order to enhance your self confidence. Self improvement is a must in getting rid of stage fear. That is where affirmations will silently work for you. You can repeat phrases that encourages you. May be silently or aloud. Always strengthen your confidence by saying ” yes I can do this ” . Use the positive affirmations to create a positive vibe around you which may finally lead you to get rid of stage fear.
- Preparation
Preparation is the key of making any task successful. So it is relatable to stage fear too. Preparation is a powerful tool which helps you to get rid of stage fear. Preparation also includes planning. To get rid of stage fear you can plan every inch of your performance before the actual day of performing. Stage fear tend to trigger because of lacking time for the performance. It becomes a mess at the end though there was a nice flow at the beginning due to lack of time during performance. So it is rather important to plan your performance within the given time period. And if you plan to use any visual aids or audio along with the performance they need to be well organized to be used at the time of performing. To get rid of stage fear the other thing that can be done is self preparation. You need to prepare yourself not only with the task but also with your physical appearance too. There should not be any point at which you are embarrassed during the performance. The other most important area is using technical devices in performing. They need to be pre tested before you use them on the actual day. Not only that you should be well prepared emotionally and mentally which will help you get rid of stage fear. It is highly recommended that you do the actual performance in front of a mirror before the actual day as if a crowd is watching you. So it will help you to avoid the slightest mistakes that may occur on the actual day , leading you to get rid of stage fear.
- Engage with your audience.
Stage fear is usually related to public speaking.more often you develop stage fear when you face a large and a judgemental audience. Another effective way to combat your stage fear is engaging with the target audience. Fear is a state of mind which will trigger with the feeling ” I am alone on the stage ” . This can be totally defeated by engagement where you collaborate the target audience with your individual performance. Building up a good rapport between you and the audience is a successful way to get rid of stage fear. An audience is a place where there can be different people with different attitudes. So the techniques you use to build up rapport should vary . Questioning is a good technique to engage the audience in your performance. They stay alarmed towards your performance as a result of questioning. Here you may not get a definite answer or an answer at all. But it is totally fine as your intention is to get rid of stage fear rather than getting an answer. Another technique is using gestures. It will also help the audience understand what you are trying to emphasize and will help you to grab attention. On the other hand storytelling can be used as as a technique to build up rapport where you too automatically get rid of stage fear and will create interest in your listeners . It is also a great way to invite their participation and to make the session enjoyable. And it can be an opportunity to share your life experiences with the audience. Hence this can be recognised as an instance where you make the performance personal and break the monotony of the situation.
- Relaxation
When we discuss how to get rid of stage fear it is inevitable that relaxation techniques are needed to be addressed. Normally when you develop stage fear you begin to show physical symptoms such as rapid breathing, trembling, shaky voice etc…. And internally you may increase heart rate and nervousness. It is true that there are prescribed medications in order to reduce these symptoms. But still it is highly recommended that you use relaxation techniques rather than seeking medication. Deep breathing and meditation are rather effective when relaxing your mind. When it comes to body relaxing yoga can be be practiced. Remember that these are long term practices and you cannot expect sudden results with these relaxation techniques. But when you keep practicing these it will definitely help you to get rid of stage fear in the long run .
- Act natural and be yourself.
Mostly people develop stage fear as they find it as a task which deviates them from their natural way of behaviour. People mistakenly take public performing as something that needs artificial accent ,unnecessary gestures and facial expressions. But it is quite necessary to maintain the natural accent while doing the task . It is true that the accent should be decent and professional and voice variations , pauses etc.. should be maintained. Remember not to artificially create an accent that is quite abnormal because you need to maintain the same accent throughout the performance. Being yourself is a major requirement that will more prominently help you to get rid of stage fear.
Finally it is a must to say that a little bit of stage fear is actually a good thing. Having stage fear does not prove that you are not meant to perform or you are not good at performing. Always stay motivated as you are facing your fears with courage. Your audience will love to see you performing always.
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