Stage fright, performance anxiety, nerves, jitters are just a few of the terms used to describe the feelings many musicians experience when they are about to audition, or perform. Most performers will probably have experienced what nerves can feel like, but where do these nerves come from and how can we manage them?
When you are about to go on stage, I’m sure many of you will know the feelings of sweaty/shaky hands, feeling sick, trembling voice, needing the toilet and a voice inside your head asking you why you keep putting yourself through this and desperately looking for any possible way that you can run away and get as far away from the stage as possible… does this sound familiar? Well, this is just your flight, fight, freeze instinct kicking in and making you feel like this is a dangerous situation that you need to escape from. Let me explain in more detail why many of us experience this…
The Chimp Model
You may have heard of the Chimp Model developed by Professor Steve Peters and used by well-known athletes such as Sir Chris Hoy, Vicky Pendleton and Ronnie O’Sullivan to name but a few! The model is now becoming popular with musicians of all genres.
The Chimp Model simplifies complex neuroscience and provides a framework to help better understand your thoughts, feelings and behaviours. The model explains how the mind can be seen as having three teams, each with their own agenda and way of working. The Human (you), is mainly based in the frontal lobe, is associated with logical thinking, and works with facts and truth. It is solution-focussed. The Chimp, mainly based in the limbic system, is an independent emotional thinking machine that works with feelings and impressions, and acts without your permission! It is very much problem-focussed.
The Human and Chimp are two separate thinking machines that independently interpret our experiences. Either of them can take control, but they can also work together. Interestingly, our Chimps cannot tell the difference between an actual threat and a perceived threat as they are working with feelings and impressions, rather than facts.
There is also the Computer, spread throughout the brain, which is a storage area for programmed thoughts and behaviours. When you are performing at your best you are using an automatic programme stored in your Computer. The Human and the Chimp can both put information into the Computer and the key is to store helpful information in the Computer.
In this model, everyone has an inner Chimp. Your Chimp is the one that responds with Fight, Flight or Freeze, which is helpful when facing real danger, but unhelpful and inappropriate when you are standing at the side of the stage about to go out and perform!
How it applies to Performance Anxiety
When you are performing at your best, you are using an automatic programme that is stored in your Computer. If you become anxious, the blood flow moves away from the Computer to the Chimp. The Chimp thinks emotionally and unpredictably, so it’s not the best place for the blood flow to be in if you want to perform consistently and at your best. It also means that you become focused on the feelings of anxiety (problem-focussed), rather than what you need to concentrate on in order to perform at your best (solution-focussed).
Learning to recognise the difference between yourself and your Chimp is an important first step to gaining insight into your unique mind. Whenever you have feelings, emotions or thoughts that you don’t want, then your emotional circuits (the Chimp) are hijacking you.
Your Human may try to take back control from the Chimp, but the Chimp is much quicker and stronger than you. For example, if you feel nervous before performing, your Human, may logically know that the situation isn’t dangerous, but you cannot control your emotional reaction. Recognising that it is your Chimp reacting and not you is the first step to managing performance anxiety. It will also stop you from beating yourself up about feeling anxious.
One simple way to manage anxiety in the heat of the moment is:
- Recognise the Chimp is reacting
- Slow down your thinking (to allow the Human to get involved)
- Get perspective
- Have a plan
The key way to start to manage performance anxiety is to get to know your unique Chimp, and then you can start to manage him or her. I have outlined five tips below which should help you to get started.
5 Tips to help you manage performance anxiety
1. Face up to your fears
Most performers tend to try to block out or ignore any fears or concerns about an upcoming performance, in the hope that they will just go away. This is often ineffective. Instead try telling a friend about your fears or writing them down. Then try to rationalise them and come up with a plan to manage what it is your Chimp is anxious about. So for example, if your Chimp is worried about:
- ‘What if I make a mistake?’ – you could tell your Chimp that everyone makes mistakes from time to time, you didn’t intentionally do it, and the audience may not even notice. Then develop a plan for what you need to do to accept the mistake for what it is and refocus on your performance quickly.
- ‘What if everyone thinks I am rubbish?’ – you could tell your Chimp that you cannot control the audience/ judge/audition panel’s opinion of your performance. The only thing that is within your control is delivering your own performance to the best of your ability. You could develop a list of what you need to focus on during your performance to perform at your best, and then remind yourself that this is what you need to focus on.
2. Maintain perspective
Performing is probably something you love doing, but your Chimp might be making it feel like a life or death situation.
- Remind your Chimp what it is you love about performing. What do you love about being a musician?This is what you need to tap into and remind your Chimp about.
3. Focus on doing your best
This is so important. Your Chimp will want everyone to love you and to be the best. But the rational logical part of your brain can understand that you need to focus on doing your best.
- You could ask yourself what doing your best looks like and write up a list. For example, a list of the processes that you can follow.
- Remind yourself that this is what you need to focus on and if you do your best (which you will) then you can’t ask any more of yourself.
4. Understand what is within your control and what is not
Many performers focus on things outside of their control and this causes them to feel anxious. For example, wanting to impress people, wanting to win the audition etc. The list that you could develop on what you need to focus on to perform at you best (point 3 above) are the only areas that are really within your control.
5. Manage your expectations
Have realistic expectations for your performance. There is no such thing as the perfect performance. Any performance that you do could always be performed differently, by yourself, or someone else. So, instead of getting caught up worrying about needing to deliver the perfect performance, focus on preparing as well as you can, helping your Chimp to address any fears or concerns ahead of your performance and then you and your Chimp can step out onto the stage ready to perform at your best.
Hopefully this gives you some insight into your unique mind and some ideas for how you could start to manage any performance anxiety that you may be experiencing.
Dr Anna Waters
Psychologist at Chimp Management Ltd.
Email: annawaters@chimpmanagement.com
