5 Ways To Beat Pre-Performance Nerves

If you say you don’t get nervous before a performance, you’re probably not being completely honest! It’s perfectly normal to have pre-performance jitters, but that doesn’t mean that it has to hold you back or affect how well you perform. 

With a few, quick tips, you’ll be able to beat your nerves, go out there, and slay it. PYM is no stranger to anxiety, which is why we created our Mood Chews.

#1) Start Prepping The Night Before

If it’s possible, you’ll want to start working on those nerves the night before your performance. A great way to do that is by creating a “night before” ritual that you can always go to, one that you know will help to calm your nerves without question.

For many people, that is making sure that you eat a healthy meal, get a good night’s sleep, and even stop any “practicing” that you may be doing at least an hour or two before you head to bed. 

It’s always tempting to go hard the night before, whether that is running lines, working out, etc. However, that actually doesn’t help! It can even make your anxiety worse, and lead to a worse night’s sleep. You’ll want to make sure that you head to bed in a relaxed headspace.

To really help boost the likelihood that you’ll get a more restful night’s sleep, try a little bit of meditation before hitting the hay. If you’re new to meditation, try an app or guided meditation specifically designed to be used before sleep. If you’ve done it before, even just five minutes of being able to quiet your thoughts can help. Give it a shot! It can’t hurt, and it definitely has the potential to help.

#2) Make Sure You’re Prepared

This may sound like an obvious no-brainer, but it’s true. 

One of the best ways to beat pre-performance nerves is to know that you’ve done everything you can to be prepared to knock it out of the park. You’ll be far less likely to freeze up, and your confidence will be at its highest possible level. 

In fact, cramming has been proven to actually harm your performance, not help it. A better tactic is to make sure to practice in smaller amounts, and in different places. Start as far ahead of your performance as possible, so that you don’t feel the urge to pull an all-nighter and accidentally increase your nerves instead of beating them. The same amount of practice done over a longer period of time is way more beneficial than just trying to cram it all in at the last minute.

#3) Have A Plan For When Anxiety Strikes

No matter what you do, nerves are going to happen. While you can do everything possible to help make them as low as possible, it’s also really important that you have a plan for what to do if they start ramping up.

PYM Mood Chews can be a great part of helping you to manage feelings of stress and overwhelm. If you take one the morning of a big performance, the adaptogens and amino acids in each chew work to target your hormones and help you feel like you’re able to bring your best self to the game. 

You may even want to have a physical plan to literally shake out the anxiety. Some people find it helpful to pace or take a walk, while others like to shake their muscles out and visualize the anxiety leaving their body. 

There’s no right or wrong answer here; just do what feels right and helps you restore a sense of calm before it is your time to shine.

#4) Stay Away From Caffeine

We know this is a hard one to swallow but trust is, it can really help. 

We’re not saying you have to give up caffeine entirely, but not going for that extra cup before your performance is a great way to not add to your likely already present anxiety. It really all comes down to the fact that caffeine is an “adenosine receptor agonist,” which means that it keeps up jittery and awake by blocking the receptors that tell us to relax and wind down. 

Too much caffeine can lead to shakiness, anxiety, and even GI symptoms like nausea and diarrhea. No one wants to be dealing with diarrhea right before a big performance.

#5) Stop The Negative Self Talk

Nerves and anxiety can really mess with your head. The chatter it creates likes to tell you that you’re not good enough, that you’re going to fail… but those are lies. It’s incredibly tempting to fall into that anxiety spiral, letting your negative self talk drag you down into pre-performance nerves that can totally throw you off.

Being able to recognize that your brain doesn’t always tell you the truth, and countering that with positive self talk like “I’m going to kill it,” or “I got this” can really make a difference in the way that your entire performance goes. 

Remind yourself how prepared you are, how you have a 100% track record of surviving situations like the one you’re in, and then go out there to prove those negative thoughts wrong. A little self-belief can really go a long way.

In Summary…

Whether you’re an athlete, student, dancer, or just someone who has to give a speech or give a presentation at work, pre-performance nerves are a regular part of life. 

PYM Mood Chews were designed to help you deal with all kinds of stress and anxiety, including performance related nerves. Putting any (or all) of the above tricks into action can double down on that help, so that you can give your best performance every time. 

Sources:

Guided Meditation for Sleep - Headspace

Memory: Why cramming for tests often fails - BBC 

Coffee and Anxiety, Does Caffeine Worsen Anxiety Symptoms? - Men's Health