We’ve all heard of it, witnessed it happening on stage, and maybe even experienced it. What does performance anxiety feel like? It’s a whole mind/body event. Your hands get clammy, you’re shaking, your muscles feel weak, you might feel sick to your stomach, and your heart is pounding.
What’s going on in your head is at the root of your physical experience of performance anxiety. There’s a little gremlin inside your brain that lies dormant until you’re about to go on stage. Then she wakes up and starts whispering in your ear, distracting you, disturbing your focus, and try as you might, you can’t get her to quiet down. She says things like, “What if you forget that new correction? You’re going to mess up! You’re not ready for a solo.”
I call my gremlin “Bug” because she bugs me. She never really goes away, but I’ve learned how to manage her and you can too.