
Rebrand Stage Fright to Overcome It - SwellJoe
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/rebrand-stage-fright-to-overcome-it/
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EGreg
This is definitely true. I say this as someone who has performed classical
music in various venues like Carnegie Hall etc.
([http://magarshak.com/piano](http://magarshak.com/piano)) I started as a kid
when I didn't feel much stage fright at all, and after a break of a couple
years I remember the stage fright coming on. I was a pianist, so what if I
would make a mistake? Feeling like I needed to calm down and concentrate
caused the jitters. Whereas traning to express yourself and just perform in
the moment takes it away.

In general, accepting some kind of discomfort helps the body to accept it and
deal with it. I discovered this a few years ago when walking through biting
cold and deciding to EXPECT the sensation and accept it. My body kicked up the
temperature production, and I felt a bit like that guy who can regulate his
body temperature naked in the snow. Although of course less genetically
adapted than he is :)

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tigeba
I came here to say the same thing. I have also been performing music since I
was a child. I never really experienced any sort of anxiety about it because I
have always associated the feeling with excitement. I accept the feeling will
arrive, generally shortly before the performance, and that it usually helps
push me to do better. If the performance is really short I find that I can
feel a bit jittery afterwards since I don't get enough time to burn off the
extra adrenaline.

I can contrast this with rehearsals, where I typically feel no 'excitement'
when working with familiar musicians. In this situation the music might feel a
little flat, and sometimes I look forward to the actual performance where the
adrenaline will help carry the weight.

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halfcat
This sounds like the same concept from Kelly McGonigal's TED Talk, "How to
Make Stress Your Friend" [1]. For those who don't want to sign up to read the
Scientific American article, the video will give you the gist of the article.

[1]
[http://www.ted.com/talks/kelly_mcgonigal_how_to_make_stress_...](http://www.ted.com/talks/kelly_mcgonigal_how_to_make_stress_your_friend)

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yodon
Separate from stage fright, there's also a kind of "deer in the headlights"
moment many presenters experience right as they try to start talking.

If your anxiety is low but you still get tongue-tied at the start of a pitch,
taking a couple minutes to stand at the front of the room before people walk
in, getting accustomed to the view room from that position, can do wonders for
a presentation. Even if you need to go sit back down in your chair until
you're called to present, having that mental picture already familiar in your
mind helps get past the shock of the unfamiliar room view.

