THE PRESSURE IS ON: MANAGING PERFORMANCE ANXIETY
By Erinn Williams, LCPC
A pit in your stomach. Sweaty palms. A trembling voice. A racing heartbeat. Sound familiar? These are all symptoms associated with performance anxiety – a debilitating fear, worry or phobia that is triggered when you feel like you must perform a specific task.
The pressure to achieve can be tied to any type of performance, especially when connected to an evaluative component, and sometimes before the task has even begun.
For some, panic might overtake them when they speak or perform in front of a crowd. Stage fright can happen during a performance on stage, speaking in front of your class during a presentation or even peers in the boardroom at work.
SPA or sexual performance anxiety affects 9-25% of men and 6-16% of women according to research. It’s linked to erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation and a decrease in libido for both men and women. So, why do so many people experience SPA? A person might be worried about sexual inadequacy. Other factors such as body image, an inability to satisfy one’s partner, or the fear of erectile dysfunction (we can go on) can also occur. This exact performance mindset can lead many men and women to be self-conscious, worried and anxious when engaging in sexual experiences of any kind.
Stress hormones naturally cause our blood vessels to narrow and for men, when less blood flows to the penis, it can be difficult to have an erection. For women, this type of anxiety can prevent natural lubrication when trying to engage in sexual intercourse.
Anxiety before or during a game/athletic competition can interfere with your performance as an athlete. Athletic performance anxiety aka APA can create a difference in how you perform during practice vs how you do during competitions. Sure, a certain amount of worry about your performance can be helpful in competition, but these same negative thought patterns and expectations of failure can also interfere with your ability to compete. The movements required by many athletes can become difficult when your body is in a tense state. This can happen to individual athletes or those who play team sports. It can affect seasoned athletes and amateur competitors.
People can experience performance anxiety with many different situations beyond the three we mentioned above.
THE SYMPTOMS
When it comes to performance anxiety, there’s a real or imagined pressure to perform – and along with this comes physical symptoms.
Feelings of strong anxiety can activate our body’s fight or flight response causing your pulse to race, sweaty hands and nausea - in turn, creating a strong urge or overwhelming desire to leave the situation. Sometimes, this anxiety happens prior to a performance, interfering with your ability to perform at all before you even begin.
The initial symptoms of performance anxiety are often physical. But, these symptoms can also cause psychological symptoms where the performer is worried that people will notice their panic or that they will look bad in front of others. This negative self-talk can even worsen physical symptoms. Mental and emotional signs include irritability, task avoidance and trouble focusing.
The physical list of performance anxiety symptoms is complex and include: racing pulse, rapid breathing, dry mouth and tight throat, vision changes, trembling, sweating, chills
Increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, dizziness, lightheadedness, sweating, dry mouth, chills, pale or flushed skin.
YOU AREN’T ALONE! HOW TO COPE
Performance anxiety can affect people of all ages and experience levels – on stage, in the bedroom, at work or on the field. You don’t even have to be a performer to suffer from stage fright. A job interview or taking a test can also trigger this type of anxiety.
Practice makes perfect, right? When dealing with performance anxiety, it’s not about trying to avoid the anxiety altogether, but knowing what to do when it happens! Here are a few ways to cope with performance anxiety:
Deep breathing and meditation can help calm you down before a performance
Try to understand your triggers and what causes your performance anxiety in advance. Write them down and create a plan to tackle these triggers before they even happen
Allow yourself to feel the experience and try not to think that you’ll fail
Harness your anxiety into excitement! This will help your mind shift from negative thinking to looking forward to your performance
Connect with your audience! Smile, wave and make eye contact
Visualize success and try focusing on the performance vs the potential negative reaction of the audience
A psychotherapist can also work with you to explore the connections between your thoughts, behaviors, and outcomes. These cognitive behavioral techniques attempt to break the cycle of negative self-talk and the physical anxiety symptoms you might be experiencing. A therapist can also help you learn to recognize the triggers that cause your performance anxiety, how to anticipate and prepare for these negative thoughts, and how to restructure these thoughts to help lessen the anxiety.
Remember, performance anxiety can happen to anyone! Barbra Streisand avoided live performances for decades after forgetting her lines – and now performs with a teleprompter to ensure it won’t happen again. Adele uses hypnotherapy before she has a concert. Mark Twain eased his fears by having close friends in the audience to make him more comfortable and at ease. And Lorde calms her nerves via verbal self-assurance and talking to herself out loud before performing.