Performance anxiety affects musicians, public speakers, and those in intimate settings. Techniques to manage it include psychotherapy, medication, and coping strategies. It is not uncommon, and well-known personalities have experienced it. Causes can be complex, and psychotherapy can help. Medications like beta blockers can also treat it. Support from friends, family, and other artists can be helpful.
Performance anxiety is emotional stress rooted in worrying about performing for other people. Musicians, public speakers, and other people who frequently appear in front of a crowd can develop this condition. It can also occur on a more intimate level in settings like the bedroom. There are a number of techniques available to manage performance anxiety, including psychotherapy, medication, and coping strategies.
Public performance anxiety is by no means uncommon, and it’s not a personal failing. In fact, a number of well-known and well-known personalities have a history of stage fright, as it is sometimes known. Glenn Gould, a talented classical pianist, chose to stop performing in public due to his performance anxiety, and singers Renee Fleming and Barbara Streisand have both experienced severe anxiety attacks.
The causes of performance anxiety can be complex. In young children, it is often caused by a fear of the unknown or a worry of being laughed at and pressured by classmates. For adults, fear of letting people down or worries about trying something new in front of a crowd can be daunting. Sometimes anxiety doesn’t strike until the end of someone’s career or occurs after a bad review that shakes self-confidence and makes an artist feel uncomfortable.
Psychotherapy for performance anxiety may include exploring the causes and developing strategies to address them. Children are sometimes told to do things like picture audience members in their underwear, and this advice can be applied to adults as well, sometimes in different ways. Making the audience seem less scary can help the performer focus, as can having a person or thing to focus on, like a friend in the front row. Limiting expectations can also reduce stress. For men suffering from erectile dysfunction, for example, having low-key sex can help reduce anxiety.
Medications can also treat performance anxiety. Beta blockers for stress are an option a doctor may consider if your anxiety is severe or becomes debilitating. Sometimes treating underlying depression or other mental health problems with medications can also help with anxiety. You may need to adjust your anti-anxiety medications to find one that works right for you and can help you experience low blood pressure situations sooner.
Support from friends, family, and other artists can also be helpful, depending on the context. Many musicians with performance anxiety rely on band or orchestra members to help them work through initial nerves and settle into the performance, for example.
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