As a Licensed School Psychologist who's spent over a decade working with performers and high-achievers dealing with anxiety, I've seen what actually works for performance nerves. The secret isn't eliminating the anxiety--it's reframing those physical sensations as excitement and readiness rather than fear. I teach my clients the "PLEASE" skill from DBT therapy, which focuses on managing your basic physical needs before high-pressure situations. Get enough sleep the night before, balance your eating (don't skip meals or overeat), and do light exercise to burn off excess nervous energy. Your mind and body are connected--when your physical baseline is stable, your emotional regulation follows. The game-changer is what I call "sensory anchoring" during your preparation. About 15 minutes before your audition, engage your senses intentionally--sip herbal tea, use a calming scent, or hold something with a comforting texture. This mirrors the telehealth prep techniques we teach clients, and it creates a portable calm state you can access anywhere. One technique that consistently works is accepting those butterflies instead of fighting them. I had one young performer who transformed her career when she started telling herself "I'm excited" instead of "I'm nervous" before auditions. Same physical sensations, completely different mental frame--and her booking rate doubled within six months.
For me, stage fright has always been part of the process unfortunately, but I've learned ways to manage it. One technique that really helps is controlled breathing--I'll breathe in for 5 seconds, hold for 5, and breathe out for 5, which slows my heart rate and calms my body. Over time, the more I've put myself out there and performed, the easier it's become; exposure has helped lessen the intensity of my anxiety, even though I still sometimes feel those butterflies in my stomach, sweaty hands, and racing thoughts. The nerves don't fully go away, but I've learned to accept them as part of the experience. Once I'm actually on stage and in the middle of a song, I pour everything into the performance--my emotions, my energy, and my focus--and the nerves fade into the background. That shift into the music is what allows me to stay present and connected with my audience.
As an actor, I definitely still get nervous before auditions or performances. For me, the first step is always taking a few deep breaths to center myself. I remind myself that feeling nervous just means I care about the role and the work. Instead of worrying about how I'll be judged, I focus on the character and the story I'm telling. Sometimes I'll put on music to get into the right headspace. A quick stretch also helps me release any tension I'm holding onto. Once I'm in the moment, those nerves usually shift into energy. That energy actually makes my performance feel more alive and real.
When nerves start to creep in before a performance, it helps to anchor your attention on what you are actually there to deliver: your lines, your music, your message, rather than what the audience might be thinking of you in that moment. Worrying about reactions or trying to read faces only adds pressure and distracts from your preparation. Instead, run through your material slowly in your head or quietly backstage, paying attention to what you want to say or express. Remind yourself what brought you to this moment or why you care about it in the first place. This shift will give you something solid to focus on, which keeps nerves from getting out of control. When your mind is on the work itself instead of other people's opinions, it is easier to stay calm and actually give your best performance, even if the adrenaline is still there.
As a somatic therapist, I've learned that stage fright lives in your body, not just your mind. Your nervous system interprets performance situations as threats, triggering fight-or-flight responses that create racing hearts, shallow breathing, and muscle tension. The game-changer is working with your body's responses instead of fighting them. I teach clients simple grounding techniques--feel your feet on the floor, press your palms together, or gently sway side to side. These small movements signal safety to your nervous system and can shift you out of panic mode in under a minute. One client was a musician who'd freeze during auditions despite knowing her pieces perfectly. We practiced "titration"--staying present with small amounts of nervousness rather than being overwhelmed by it all. She'd notice tension in her shoulders, breathe into that area, then gradually expand her awareness. This built her capacity to stay connected to her body even when anxious. The key insight: nervousness often means your system is stuck between wanting to perform (fight) and wanting to escape (flight). Gentle movement like shoulder rolls or shifting your weight helps your nervous system choose engagement over escape, changing anxiety into focused energy.
I've dealt with stage fright a lot, and it's something I eventually had to work on. My profession always puts me in places where I have to speak. What works best for me is arriving very early to wherever I have to speak, about an hour or even two beforehand. I get used to the surroundings; even if I've been to that place before, it's important to arrive early to ease tension. I get on the stage and practice facing the audience in my head. These techniques have built confidence in me over time, and I've had better performances since I started using them.
Before any performance, I tell myself I'm the pro athlete in the room. This mindset reframes the dynamic, steadies my breathing, and helps me focus fully on execution, while reminding me the audience is simply people, not something to fear.
For me, nervousness usually hits in those moments right before pitching Magic Hour or speaking at a tech event. When the chips were down during YC Demo Day, a couple rounds of deep breathing and quick visualization settled my mind more than rehearsing lines again. I picture the audience as collaborators instead of critics, which changes the pressure into connection. I've learned the nerves never 'go away,' but they can shift into positive energy if managed. So I'd suggest acknowledging the fear, steadying your breath, and reframing the moment as an opportunity to create, not perform.
VP of Demand Generation & Marketing at Thrive Internet Marketing Agency
Answered 5 months ago
I used to let stage fright derail me before writing or public speaking and also had the same butterflies with breakdancing, but I've learned how to use that energy instead of letting it paralyze me. I tell myself that being nervous is that EXTRA ENERGY waiting to be channeled properly - and when I handle it correctly, it provides an even keener edge to my concentration. Before I go out, I take a breath and slow it down, flap my arms to roll back the tension that has settled into my shoulders and visualize the opening 30 seconds of what is to come - since starting strong makes the rest flow. I also make sure my preparation is consistent; when I know in myself that I've prepared well, the confidence creeps up and somehow silences the self-doubt. One time I competed in a dance competition and blank-stopped for a fraction of a second when the crowd roared more than I anticipated. I changed my focus to the beat in my body and not the noise, and let muscle memory guide me throughout that set. That little mental switch from "they're watching me" to "I'm sharing this with them" brought calm in an instant and helped me finish strong.
I usually treat stage fright the same way I coach teens through anxietyby slowing everything down with grounding techniques. Before stepping into an audition or speaking engagement, I practice mindful breathing, almost like running a quick internal checklist. That small ritual shifts me from worrying about perfection to simply being present, which makes all the difference.
Whether it's about pitching Cafely to potential investors or standing in front of the media for an interview, I still feel that stage fright feeling even if it's not new to me. My strategy in handling this situation is to convert it into focus and prep energy instead. I practice key points until I'm able to discuss Cafely's mission and why Vietnamese coffee is important without reading off cards. A few deep breathing exercises and a reminder it's not a performance, it's a talk about something I believe in before going in really helps me out. Having a tiny cup of our own brew with me also helps, as it calms me down on a deeper level. This mindset is more helpful for me than a technique could be.
My exercise begins with breathing exercises I went through in football, Three deep breaths holding for four counts, then exhaling slowly. This takes effect on your parasympathetic nervous system and drops your heart rate at once. Your body is unable to distinguish between performance anxiety and real danger and therefore you will have to signal safety. Visualization works as well and I would practice in my mind all the details before large medical presentations or when I opened my first clinic, walking on stage, maintaining eye contact, presenting the most important points. This preconditions your brain to success and not failure scenarios. It is equally important to prepare physically as I never come late in order to have time to familiarize myself with the space, I move around the stage or the room, equipment and recognize friendly faces in the audience. On the morning of my first big men's conference keynote speech, I was terrified. I applied all these tricks and also kept in mind that my message can save the lives of men. My personal fear was not as significant as that larger purpose and the reaction of the audience was extremely good and that discussion resulted in three new clinic partnerships. Your nervousness shows that you care, you have to just use that energy towards reaching your audience.
I used to get stage fright and what helped me the most was taking my mind off of myself and thinking about the audience. And rather than fretting about how I look, or sound, I tell myself that the crowd is there to feel my story, my energy and my message. Exercise helps, but what really makes a difference is rehearsing under the same conditions - lights up and the mic in hand as you make your way across the stage, so the setting becomes familiar. I also like to have a pre-performance ritual, something as base-level as stretching or saying a grounding phrase or reciting my opening line until it feels automatic. It helps keep me even-keeled and in control. Before a keynote I did recently, I experimented with something different that really helped me: I arrived 30 minutes ahead of time, I just casually hung out as people filed in and chatted them up. It not only relieved the tension but made me feel like I already belonged - for once, after walking onto a stage, I wasn't speaking to strangers; I was talking to people with whom I had already established rapport. The energy changed, and the anxiety became excitement. The few times I did this, my performance quality increased because the room did not feel as threatening and more like a conversation. It was such a small thing, but it put me at ease and the audience at ease instantly.
To deal with stage fright, I focus on nervous energy with my preparation and establish a routine. Before I perform, I have a checklist that I try and stick to: breathing calmly, picturing a successful scenario, and warming up the body to unlock the tension. I think out the nerves the body feels with the fear, the body is ready, and the focus will sharpen if managed correctly. I think one of my best ways to stay calm is to picture the people watching as fans. I think, instead of people staring at me waiting to see what will go wrong, people waiting to see the something I will offer to them. Practicing in a space that is similar to where I will perform on stage, I find, reduces the shock of the stage as much as can be. The more it feels the same, the better it is. What keeps me in the moment is that I know I have done the work, so the performace is about being real, not perfect. That encourages me and keeps my confidence up.
Even as a trial lawyer, I still get nerves before hitting 'record.' Guest appearances and short-form video reels can trigger stage fright the same way court did early in my career. I prepare by scripting key points, rehearsing them once or twice, and then reminding myself that the goal is to help someone on the other side of the screen. Treating it like a conversation, not a performance, keeps me grounded and authentic.
Drawing on my surgical background, I handle nervous energy much like I do before entering the operating roomwith a step-by-step mental checklist. I walk through my preparation, even down to taking slow measured breaths, until everything feels aligned. That process grounds me and helps replace any anxious thoughts with trust in the preparation I've already done.
For me, nervousness comes down when I focus on creating balance before the performance, almost like how I prepare before making a big business decision. I usually pause for ten slow breaths or take a quick walk to clear the noise in my head. Bottom line: when nerves show up, grounding yourself through simple mindfulness makes whatever stage you're stepping onto feel a lot less intimidating.