Knees Weak, Arms Are Heavy...But Don't Eat Mom's Spaghetti

Yeah, I took that from Eminem...and twisted it.

Today's post will be about pre-performance jitters. Everyone...almost everyone gets pre-performance jitters...and it's okay. It's not a bad sign. It doesn't mean your performance is going to go bad...

Some people believe that pre-performance jitters can affect your performance, but that won't be applicable to you...if you take the right steps pre-performance.

Why do people believe that the jitters affect your performance?

I always tell everyone that pre-performance jitters are a good sign. Sometimes people sweat. Their palms sweat. In instruments like the guitar, your sweaty hands may not be a good thing. 

Some people shake with nervousness or fear. That's okay too...stage performances can be scary. 

As far as I know, shaking of hands, sweating of palms, and other such physical effects are the only contributors to a stage performance going bad. 

Usually, the nervousness helps people perform BETTER! 

When people are nervousness, there is no such thing as confidence in their mind...they're not hyped about the crowd, they're not as happy as the crowd, they're almost shitting their pants!

That's why, when they go out there, with their egos down to the level of a Pomeranian, they play well, because they do what they've got in their muscle memory, hoping everything goes right. 

On the other hand, when someone with no stage fright whatsoever (me) goes on stage, there's a certain ego and confidence that exists. In usual cases it may be a good thing, but on stage, your confidence can cost you. (that doesn't mean you shouldn't be confident on stage)...

The only time confidence builds is when one's been on stage for some time and he starts connecting with the crowd. 

Oh man, I get BAD Jitters! What's the solution?

There's no need to worry about this. Getting jitters is normal...absolutely normal. The best of artists get pre-performance jitters. It's perfectly fine. 

Here's what you can do about it:

1. Change your Perspective: This is what I did before I lost my stage fright, and I've never been scared of stage performances ever again.

You get nervousness...The adrenaline rushes into your body. You feel hot. You feel a million mice and butterflies in your stomach...you're not used to it...BUT, is it really a bad thing?

Here's what helped me: Instead of getting nervous with all that adrenaline, feel powerful! Use the adrenaline to your benefit...if you notice the feeling, it's not bad at all! In fact, the feeling of adrenaline rushing into your veins is the best feeling anyone can get. Use it to your advantage!

2. Breathe: Something a lot of people don't notice...when you're nervous, your breathing pattern changes. All you have to do is notice it, and bring it back to normal. Once that's done, you will feel much calmer. Trust me.

3. Remember: DON'T remember your song. DON'T try to revise ANYTHING that you're going to play on stage. It will only get you worked up! 

Remember...Remember something happy. Maybe your visit to a farm. Maybe something from your childhood...your first kiss...something that will make you smile. Something not related to the performance that's 10 minutes from now.

When you remember something else, you forget about all your worries for that moment, and your mind becomes calmer.

4. Oh, it's nothing! 

When you look at the eiffel tower from space, does it look like a giant tower, or a small dot? (I know you can't see it, just play along) It looks really small...like a dot.

Similarly, your concert may be a big deal for you, but look at it this way...what is it? It's just a bunch of people and you have to play a bunch of songs in front of them and...that's it! It's not THAT big a deal. You've already practiced the songs over a 100 times, so there's nothing to worry about.

5. GOOD TIMES!

OKAY! What will you do after the concert? Go home and sleep, if that's what your plan is. The next day you will watch videos of how amazing you were on stage and feel happy. Tomorrow, after all this is done, you will think of how good the audience was, how they were cheering for YOU! Oh, it made you feel so special...

Think about that. Thinking about that motivates you to go up there and do it, because there are good times ahead. 

SOOOOO that's the end of this post. I hope you enjoyed reading this, and thank you for your support! 

ALSO, I hope it helped :)