Subject: Giving You the Sweats...
You are getting this e-mail because you subscribed to it on www.learn-to-play-rock-guitar.com. If you don't want to receive these e-mails any longer, go to the bottom of this message and click on "unsubscribe." Hey there Friend, Congratulations! I just booked a gig for you to play guitar at the local coffee shop next month.What??? Are you excited? Or did your heart instantly stop in a panic? Take a deep breath... That's it. Breathe... Alright, don't worry, I was just kidding. I actually booked you to give a speech on Wednesday... Performance Anxiety If you're not sick to your stomach just thinking about it, I applaud you. Most of us aren't so lucky. So how do you handle the anticipation of performing in front of people? Performance anxiety (AKA "stage fright") is brought on by many different causes, not just as musicians performing for an audience. Public speaking is a huge trigger for performance anxiety, but small group presentations, job interviews, heck, even introductions and first dates can be stressful and have you break into a cold sweat. Performance anxiety affects us all. It's not just you. In fact, some of the music industry's biggest performers admit to being physically nauseous before a show begins. People like Eddie Van Halen, Ozzie Osborne and Katy Perry. As human beings with imaginations, most of us have been conditioned to envision all the negative possibilities that could occur (the unknowns), rather than focusing on the positive outcomes from the event. It's as if our brain looks for anything that could go wrong and shines a spotlight on it, feeding any insecurity we have about ourselves. Bad brain... Bad, bad brain... We all react differently. While some people go into panic mode right away, imagining every possible scenario of complete embarrassment, others of us have to ramp up to reach total anxiety. That's me. I start off feeling confident that everything will be OK, and yet, every day I get closer to the event, doubt pops into my mind. My mind races with thoughts of all the possible mistakes I could make and looking the fool. And then there's the unknown problems that could come up... In fact, I'm in that position right now. I'm getting ready to give a presentation as part of the job interviewing process, and every minute I get closer to the interview I can feel the butterflies in my stomach get more agitated. It's interesting, because logically I'm not as stressed about it - it's more the physical manifestations that are freaking me out. Prepare Thyself While it's unlikely to ever be 100% comfortable with performing for others, there are some things you can do to minimize the anxiety. The best defense we have against stage fright is preparation. The better prepared you are for the presentation, the more confidence you will have that you're going to give a solid performance. It also helps to give yourself adequate time not only to prepare your material, but to also mentally prepare. Just going into a presentation relaxed and focused can do a lot to settle your nerves. Another approach is to embrace the anxiety. The idea is to use the adrenaline produced by the anxiety to make your presentation more dynamic. Some have explained this as imagining the anxiety to be a form of excitement. Dr. Noa Kageyama wrote an interesting article about turning performance anxiety into an asset. WebMD offers some tips as well to help you manage and overcome the anxiety. Practical Application There's a lot more that can be said about performance anxiety. I know this week's article is a bit shorter than usual, but that's because I'm living it (stage fright) right now! I'm going to try some of these suggestions out on Monday. I'll let you know how my interview presentation goes. With that, have a great weekend. Back to the preparation phase right now... Peace~ Dave Dave "Eddie" Vance is a rock guitar enthusiast and gear nut. He has been playing guitar for over 30 years and enjoys tormenting the neighbors every chance he gets. When he's not slaving for the man, you can find him rocking out with his B.C. Rich Bich guitar, a cold beer and some sweet tunes. He also runs Learn-To-Play-Rock-Guitar.com, but you knew that already! Follow Learn To Play Rock Guitar:I welcome your feedback! Did you like today's message? What other topics would you like to see covered in my e-mails? Please let me know at: dave@learn-to-play-rock-guitar.com As always, please feel free to forward this email to a friend! I review products before recommending them. If you buy a product based on my recommendation, I will receive a commission. However, my emails also contain links that don’t require any investment on your part and are jam-packed with "juicy, guitar learnin' tastiness". We don't rent or share your name with anybody. Feel free to forward this issue to any friends you think would enjoy its contents. They will thank you. So will I.
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