Stage Fright

Stage Fright corresponds to a stressful situation before public appearances. The phenomenon can develop into anxiety disorders over time. If that happens, cognitive behavioral therapy helps to reassess the negatively perceived situation.

What is stage fright?

Patients with stage fright suffer from mental and physical symptoms. Every stage fright is a temporary state of mind in situations of stressful expectations.
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Stage Fright can affect different areas of life. In the extended definition, any kind of tension or stress before a public appearance, an exam or a dangerous situation is referred to as stage fright. Basically, stage fright is related to exam anxiety.

Other forms of stage fright include camera fear, microphone fear and fear of speech. Since, above all, the professional reputation of performance artists with their performance on stage is constantly being scrutinized, stage fright is especially widespread among them. The basic form of stage fright is not assessed as a pathological condition in this context, but is often even described as a favorable circumstance.

The stage fright creates a basic tension that many performance artists find motivating and performance-enhancing. As soon as stage fright with physical symptoms occurs more often, it can turn into a social phobia. After unpleasant performance experiences, fear may arise that the fear will come back.

This continues a loop of fear of public evaluation, as the person concerned will again fail to perform well in fear of fear. The negative view of the situation can thus stabilize. Every type of stage fright arises on the basis of the impression that one's own performance is seen and evaluated by the public.

causes

Stress is a natural response to imminent tasks of some complexity. In the course of evolution, the feeling of stress should ensure survival in dangerous situations and prepare for flight or fight through hormones such as adrenaline. Some stage fright stress symptoms affect groups of artists more than others.

Stress-related dry mouth and throat, difficult swallowing or shortened breath tension can weaken the voice of actors and singers in particular. In addition, pianists with damp hands due to stress can lose secure key access. In addition, the neuromuscular system can be impaired as a result of stress, which significantly reduces the quality of performance for instrumentalists, actors and athletes.

Instrumentalists mainly suffer from stress-related hand tremors, which minimizes the quality of their performance. Even if you are afraid of speaking in front of public, non-artistic appearances such as a presentation, the perceived stress can have devastating consequences on performance. The presenter can, for example, forget the text or experience a general blockage.

Once the perceived stress has led to an impairment in performance and a subsequent negative assessment by the observing public, a spiral of negative expectations of one's own performance develops. Due to the selectivity of the perception, those affected are encouraged from now on in the negative assessment of their performance, as they only seem to accept criticism and hardly hear any more praise. A social phobia develops.

Symptoms, ailments & signs

Patients with stage fright suffer from mental and physical symptoms. Every stage fright is a temporary state of mind in situations of stressful expectations. The body of the person concerned is preparing to cope with the task ahead. As a physiological reaction, the adrenaline level of those affected increases. The blood flow to the brain and muscles increases and the person concerned feels more alert. The ability to react increases.

The mental willingness to perform is activated. Clinically, there is acute stress that is associated with symptoms such as flushing, palpitations, tremors, irritability, tension, and physical or emotional anxiety. In addition, stage fright can lead to a lack of concentration and forgetfulness.

Everyone reacts differently to stressful situations. Because of this, the symptoms of stage fright can differ from person to person. While some artists see the phenomenon closely related to being in love, others find it uncomfortable. As soon as stage fright develops into a social phobia, other symptoms such as nausea, circulatory problems or abdominal pain often arise.

In extreme cases, stage fright can lead to fainting spells. At some point the phenomenon has been compared to pre-combat cannon fever experienced by soldiers, known as hypertensive excitement from the imminent danger.

Diagnosis & course of disease

Stage fright is only clinically relevant if it develops into a habitualized phenomenon of physically intolerable symptoms or a social phobia.

It is also relevant diagnostically in the context of extreme fear of failure and depression, low self-esteem or a socially impairing anxiety disorder. The line between positively perceived and negatively perceived stage fright is fluid. Only the latter form has clinical relevance.

Complications

The complications in connection with the so-called stage fright are, in the case of a manifestation outside the range of a socio-phobic variant, at best embarrassing in nature. For example, the increased pulse and the perceived stress can in part lose body control, which can be seen in spontaneous erections, the uncontrolled leakage of urine or poor pronunciation.

These things often add to the stage fright and lead to a form of fear of performing or speaking. A complication only arises from this if this means for those affected that they can no longer fulfill their social or professional obligations. If a fear of stage fright develops due to the expectation of failure or exposure to severe stress in appropriate situations, the problem is more serious.

This can lead to an impairment of self-perception, since in the mind of those affected the idea prevails that they are not enough for the audience. So in some cases complexes can develop. Purely physical complications arise with substances that people with stage fright use to overcome it.

The excessive use of beta blockers can lead to heart damage and depressive moods. Alcohol and other substances that may be habitually taken before a performance have the potential to be addictive and cause further complications.

When should you go to the doctor?

Ordinary stage fright, which occurs in many people in appropriate situations, is not a reason for a doctor's visit. The reason for this is that a slight tension, possible inhibitions and other symptoms do not necessarily lead to failure. Instead, most people still manage to master exam and performance situations - even though they may feel uncomfortable before and during them. In spite of their slight fear, those affected are still fully functional.

The case is different if the stage fright severely restricts the person concerned. This is the case, for example, when the symptoms are very noticeable physically, stage fright really prevents an activity from being carried out or there is a fear of fear. The last case means a heavy burden for the person concerned. The mere fear of the symptoms of stage fright leads to a very stressful state and fear of failure. Accordingly, the transition to sociophobia is fluid, which can mean additional restrictions.

Since the likelihood of consuming addictive substances for compensation increases with increasing fear, it is advisable to see a doctor at the latest. According to the fact that it is an anxiety disorder, psychotherapists or other, psychologically trained people are the right place to go.

Treatment & Therapy

Patients with stage fright have a great advantage in treatment compared to patients with most other anxiety disorders. While the primary cause for most other anxiety patients is in the dark and needs to be dug up therapeutically, the primary cause of stage fright is already known. Numerous coping strategies are thus available.

Patients should rate their tension and all related changes as positive and consider them sensible and beneficial. This can be done by means of cognitive behavioral therapy, which gives the patient a new opportunity to evaluate his previous experiences. A psychotherapeutic or psychologically accompanied therapy in connection with stage fright is only necessary if the condition causes blockages and triggers actual fear.

As long as stage fright does not become pathological, it can be compensated for by stage artists in particular by enjoying their work and expecting admiration. Through self-reflexive techniques, mental techniques and body-oriented approaches as well as breathing and relaxation methods, stage fright among artists can usually be overcome without therapy, for example with the Alexander technique or the Feldenkrais method.

Exam anxiety, on the other hand, can often be countered through efficient management, for example through frequent confrontation with competitions, competitive situations, tests of courage. A systematic organization of examinations is also useful in this context. In the event of stage fright before sports situations, the greatest attention should be paid to risk management.

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Outlook & forecast

The prognosis for stage fright and test anxiety depends on several factors. Particularly noteworthy is the aspect of whether you are receiving professional treatment or not. If this is the case, the chance of permanently overcoming stage fright is relatively good. However, there is no guarantee that you will be free from exam anxiety forever. Relapses are possible and unsuccessful therapies also occur.

But even without therapy there are chances of recovery. Here women have an advantage over men. Women are more likely than men to talk about their problems. Men often find it difficult to admit personal problems to themselves and to others. In doing so, they suppress the problem and the stage fright can even worsen. In any case, if you are afraid of the exam, it is helpful to talk to others about it and possibly also to exchange ideas with those who are also affected. This enables coping strategies to be exchanged and emotional crises to be overcome more quickly.

Stage fright is a disease that rarely goes away suddenly. The prognosis gets better with every situation, because it is a continuous learning process, both for the psyche and for the body.

prevention

There is little point in trying to completely prevent stage fright. Instead, stage fright should be recognized and used as an opportunity to improve performance.

Aftercare

Successful therapy for stage fright does not mean that it cannot occur again and again. Then it is important to always have mentally present the elements that have already been used to deal with stage fright. In this way, stage fright is effectively combated again.

These measures are usually individually effective. This includes certain rituals which, as a rule, require very little mental effort to get used to. In any case, these should be trained so intensively that they are available at any time. This is particularly the case in situations that have recently been perceived as stressful and that can be linked to stage fright.

The knowledge to relax mind and body acquired in training against this ailment should also be available immediately. This particularly includes conscious breathing that promotes relaxation. This is very advisable in the area of ​​aftercare for stage fright, as it can be used again with minimal effort.

It is therefore advisable to prepare accordingly, so that the use of follow-up care for stage fright may be necessary at any time. Techniques developed individually in advance are also included, which can vary greatly from one another. Furthermore, when it comes to follow-up care for stage fright, the first thing that applies is that all measures must be well trained.

You can do that yourself

In certain situations, stage fright is quite normal and can even be seen as positive if it does not get out of hand and thus affect performance. Letting in nervousness can be the first step in overcoming it. Those affected should make themselves aware that their fellow human beings usually hardly notice small insecurities and rarely perceive them as negative.

Many people feel safer before a public appearance or an exam if they think through the dreaded situation several times beforehand. This pictorial idea, also called visualization, is repeated until the positive process has been completely internalized and the exercise can be ended with a positive feeling. Immediately before the event, relaxation and breathing exercises help to reduce nervousness to a tolerable level. Bach flowers or homeopathic remedies can help to bring about inner peace. On the other hand, we do not recommend alcohol as an anxiety-reliever: Even small amounts reduce concentration, and excessive amounts can result in complete loss of control.

Stress and hectic rush can also increase stage fright: Before the performance you should therefore allow enough time for the final preparations and relaxation exercises; if you are very nervous, a short walk in the fresh air can be useful. In the long term, positive self-talk helps to strengthen self-confidence.