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.
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. Rehearse your lines. If you mess up on stage, don’t panic! Make it seem like the act.
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.
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…..
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.
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.
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.
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.
