Musicians and Performance Anxiety
Have you ever faced your time to shine, and felt overcome with an intense hesitation or worry about an upcoming performance? As the time nears for you to address your audience, do you suffer from sweaty palms? Is there a lump in your throat? Do you experience tremors, tension, stuttering, upset stomach or loss of focus? All of these symptoms are a sign that you may suffer from performance anxiety, which is a common problem that requires a little mental rewiring to get you on the right track.
Music performance anxiety develops from the thoughts, feelings and habits of a musician. The level of anxiety that one has will affect a musician’s desire to perform, as well as their ability. In order to deliver a high-quality performance, a musician must overcome the mental obstacles that create a barrier between wanting to perform and actually completing the act. When you feel anxious, pressure begins to build up that makes it impossible to pick up an instrument or sing a song.
Main Types of Performance Anxiety
There are three main kinds of performance anxiety that musicians encounter. The first occurs before a performance date is even mentioned. Fear of rejection or self-doubt regarding their abilities may hinder a musicians attempt to arrange a showing of their talents. The anxiety sometimes mounts to the point where a musician never feels they are truly ready to perform in front of others.
The second type of anxiety occurs during an actual performance. Gripped by fear of what the audience thinks of them, a musician’s body might tremble. Sweat may form on their forehead, nose, neck or hands. These bodily reactions may also impact the way an instrument is played. Voices become tight or locked, emitting cracked, flat or quivering notes. The anxiety of a musician might be so high that they may actually self-sabotage their performance without even knowing it.
Anxious musicians often become quite distracted by the slightest movement or noise during a performance. They might take this opportunity to blame their inability to complete their set because of outside interruptions. This is just an excuse. Within themselves, they do not feel completely adequate to continue their performance. Musicians with performance anxiety often exhibit poor concentration, as well as loss of focus.
After a performance, the anxiety madness continues, which is seen through a harsh, unforgiving critique of their presentation. The musician will nit-pick every aspect of their set and despite positive encouragement and comments, they will continue to downplay and dismantle their ability.
Tips On Managing Performance Anxiety
When it comes to getting over the hump of performance anxiety, there are numerous ways to combat the fears and doubt that come with presentation. Below are five aspects of performing that a musician suffering from anxiety should take into consideration:
1) Self-Assessment
When you get to know the ins and outs of yourself as an individual, as well as a musician, you are inching your way towards overcoming performance anxiety. Knowing what makes you tick both inside and outside musical circles will help you to better deal with the problems you face before, during and after a performance. A musician should analyze their performance goals, personal capabilities and limitations.
Musicians should also know that everyone has to start somewhere with infinite room for improvement. It is quite important for a musician to perform to the best of their abilities, as well as learn from mistakes and peer criticism.
2) Exposure: Baby Steps
Musicians should take the opportunity to gradually expose themselves to varying levels of performing. One moment a full-length mirror becomes a suitable audience, while the next could be a crowd of five friends. Testing low, medium and high levels of stressful performance situations will help musicians slowly overcome the issues faced in regards to performing. Additional suggestions include practice performances in an empty theater, dress rehearsals with friends and taping acts, then viewing them with family and friends.
3) Preparation
In anything that we do, preparation is an important component for achieving success. A good performance is one that has been thought out, thoroughly visualized and played over and over again in the mind. Once the mental preparation is complete, the physical part of the process involves sufficient practice and specific rehearsing for the particular venue you may perform at. Before a performance, a musician should enter this moment with a clear head. Meditation, yoga and other muscle relaxation techniques can create the right state of mind.
4) During a Performance
Every musician at some point in their lives will feel the flutter of butterflies before, during or after a performance. This is a normal occurrence that just takes some longer to get over. When it comes to the audience, you shouldn’t focus on blocking them out, but instead embrace them as support. If you go into a performance thinking that no one likes you or during a presentation focus on scowling faces, you will surely surrender to your flight or fight performance anxiety tactics.
Try to put anxiety in the backseat and attempt to stay calm. If you make a mistake, such as tickle the wrong piano keys, simply move on and do not dwell on small imperfections that pale in comparison to the overall scheme of things. Sometimes, if you don’t wear your disappointment or errors on your face, the audience is less apt to remember or care about mistakes. Breathing techniques will also come in handy once you get into the thick of performing and feel a touch of anxiety.
5) After the Performance
After each performance, take the time to assess yourself before relying on the approval or criticism of others. No one but you truly knows all of the hard work and preparation that went into your performance. Take the time to give yourself a mental pat on the back. Next, combine outside comments with your gut feeling to decide on what you can do next time. Regardless if you had the performance of your life or tanked on your first break, there are always aspects of your musical craft that you can still shape and mold for the future.
Kevin Sinclair
http://www.articlesbase.com/article-writing-articles/musicians-and-performance-anxiety-75282.html
Anxiety & Impotence
Our conjugal happiness depends on our sexual life. A good sex gives us confidence and makes our personal life a pleasurable one. But due to some physical complexities like impotence, our life at times is filled with emotional turmoil. Performance anxiety is a very real issue for most men suffering from erectile dysfunction (ED) or impotence. The fear of not being able to perform adequately, dissatisfaction with penis size, and self-consciousness about body appearance can all lead to the very thing that most men wish to avoid – failure to get an erection.
Sadly it seems that for a large number of men, their ability to get an erection and have sex is viewed as an integral part of their masculinity and potency. The lack of it makes their life miserable. So it’s no wonder that the onset of impotence, even when triggered by an underlying physical condition, can produce psychological problems that has immense negative impact on health.
Overcoming impotence often triggers unrealistic expectations about their ability to immediately cure their emotional problems as well as their physical ones. But in reality, every treatment takes its own course of time. T o attain maximum benefit, a little amount of patience is also desirable.
Because of the emotional turmoil associated with ED, it’s common for men to make excuses or avoid sexual situations with their partners in an effort to forget about the condition. These type of actions can make can make a woman feel inadequate within the relationship, often resulting in rejection, loneliness and depression. Some women may fear they are no longer attractive to their partner. This type of behavior can be disastrous for any intimate relationship.
But the best part is that erectile dysfunction is very much treatable. A wide range of ED generic drugs like Kamagra, Silagra, Caverta and Edegra can treat your sexual ailment and bring romance back into your sexual life. These little pills have revolutionized the treatment of impotence and have had a profound effect on men who have erectile dysfunction.
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Steve Clark
http://www.articlesbase.com/sexuality-articles/anxiety-impotence-3618.html
Alternative Medicines and Treatment for Social Anxiety Disorders
Social anxiety is an experience of fear, apprehension or worry regarding social situations and being evaluated by others. People vary in how often they experience anxiety in this way or in which kinds of situations. Anxiety about public speaking, performance, or interviews is common. Social anxiety can be related to shyness. The experience is commonly described as having physiological components (e.g. sweating, blushing), cognitive/perceptual components (e.g. belief that one may be judged negatively; looking for signs of disapproval) and behavioral components (e.g. avoiding a situation)
Cognitive distortions are a hallmark, and learned about in CBT. Thoughts are often self-defeating and inaccurate. Some sufferers may use alcohol or other drugs to reduce fears and inhibitions at social events. Social anxiety disorder may co-occur with other anxiety disorders as well as depression. Additionally, people with social anxiety may develop problems with substance abuse or dependence when they use drinking or drugs to “self-medicate” their symptoms. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), a class of antidepressants, are considered by many to be the first choice medication for generalised social phobia. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) may be helpful in the treatment of social anxiety disorder. MAOIs and benzodiazepines may require more monitoring than other medications. Beta blockers are sometimes used with performance anxiety, a specific kind of social anxiety.
Causes of Social Anxiety Disorder
Common Causes and Risk factors of Social Anxiety Disorder
Genes.
Biochemistry.
Fear responses.
Cultural factors.
Environmental factors.
Neurochemical and neurocognitive influences.
New social or work demands.
What Are the Symptoms of Social Anxiety Disorder?
Many people with social anxiety disorder feel that there is “something wrong,” but don’t recognize their feeling as a sign of illness. Symptoms include:
* Intense anxiety in social situations.
* Avoidance of social situations.
* Physical symptoms of anxiety, including confusion, pounding heart, sweating, shaking, blushing, muscle tension, upset stomach and diarrhea.
Children with this disorder may express their anxiety by crying, clinging to a parent or throwing a tantrum.
Alternative Treatment of Social Anxiety Disorder
Common Treatment of Social Anxiety Disorder
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), a class of antidepressants, are considered by many to be the first choice medication for generalised social phobia.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) may be helpful in the treatment of social anxiety disorder. It teaches people with social anxiety disorder to react differently to the situations that trigger their anxiety symptoms.
Practicing these techniques regularly can help you manage or reduce your anxiety. You may need to begin with small steps in situations that aren’t overwhelming.
These techniques include:
* Eating with a close relative, friend or acquaintance in a public setting.
* Making eye contact and returning greetings from others, or being the first to say hello.
* Preparing for conversation. For instance, read the newspaper to identify an interesting story you can talk about.
* Giving someone a compliment.
* Focusing on personal qualities you like about yourself.
Social Skills Training: After avoiding certain social situations for an extended time, it is not surprising that some people with social anxiety disorder might develop some bad habits in social situations, including making poor eye contact, and engaging in other anxious behaviors. They may also find it difficult to think of what to say during a conversation or date. Or, they may lack certain basic public speaking skills. If this is the case, CBT may include social skills training as a component. Examples include teaching an individual how to make the best impression during a job interview, how to be more assertive, and how to use nonverbal communication (e.g., body language, eye contact) more effectively.
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