Performance Anxiety

My chest is filled with flutter, my stomach is flipping and I'm having to concentrate on breathing. I feel like I'm about to base jump for the first time and the moment of truth is eminent.  That split second adrenaline rush of fight or flight gives birth to action....I jump.....blackout.

Have you ever felt like this before? My guess is that if you're a performing artist, you have.  Oh my, that feeling makes me feel like I'm gonna freak out at any moment!  But if you're ever anywhere near me right before a performance, you probably wouldn't know it.  Practicing keeping yourself calm and focused before a show is really a work in progress, and if you're constantly reaching to better your show, it's a feeling that never really goes away.  You've learned some new choreography for the show, and it's your first time performing it. Or what about the knowledge that there's this really important person in the audience on whom you need to make a good impression? Even better, you're perfoming somewhere and no one knows who the heck you are! lol.  So, you catch my drift, huh?  So, how do you prepare yourself to face this feeling night after night for 365 days a year? Ok, so I'm not trying to scare you here, because really, it does get better.  The more you do something over and over, the more it's going to feel like second nature.  You'll start to feel more comfortable with it and more comfortable dealing with nervous energy. Before a show, I need a moment of stillness, a moment alone to get in touch with my own energy and the energy of my surroundings.  No alchohol, no nothing, because I need to draw from my natural energy, and I need to be in the moment. Basically, I breathe. I may pray, I may meditate.  Sometimes when the nervouseness is too much, I find somewhere where I can just go scream without anyone hearing or do a lot of jumping jacks...lol.  This doesn't make me crazy does it?  That sounded super crazy in my head typing it out...lol.  Oh well, I do what I do. My performances up until now have been mostly improv, which means I don't follow a choreographed routine.  I just rock out according to what I'm feeling.  I don't know exactly what I'm gonna do when I go out there, but I do know exactly what I want to give.  I don't know if the way I prepare to go on stage will change in the future.  I can only imagine what it will be like when my shows become bigger, become better. But hey, I'll definitely keep you posted!