PERFORMANCE ANXIETY: LEARN TO SURF THE WAVE

PERFORMANCE ANXIETY: LEARN TO SURF THE WAVE

For most performers, the word nervous carries a negative charge. It implies weakness, lack of preparation, fragility, or a fatal flaw that must be fixed before greatness is possible. From the earliest stages of training, we are subtly conditioned to believe that confidence is calm, anxiety is failure, and the ideal performer is someone who feels nothing at all.

This belief is not only inaccurate—it is destructive.

The greatest mistake performers make with performance anxiety is not feeling it. It is fighting it.

For years, I tried to eliminate anxiety entirely. I treated it like a disease that needed to be cured. I experimented with herbal teas, breathing tricks, tapping techniques, alcohol, supplements, intense workouts, and mental reframing strategies that told me, “This doesn’t matter anyway.” I tried to convince myself that the performance had no stakes, that no one cared, that I didn’t care.

None of it worked.

The anxiety always returned—sometimes quieter, sometimes louder, but always present. And the more I resisted it, the more power it seemed to have over me.

Eventually, a realization emerged that changed everything:

Anxiety itself is not the problem.Untrained anxiety is.

What we label as “stage fright” is not fear—it is adrenaline. And adrenaline is not an enemy. It is one of the most powerful performance-enhancing chemicals the human body produces. It sharpens focus, increases strength, heightens sensory awareness, accelerates reflexes, and floods the system with energy.

The tragedy is not that performers feel adrenaline.The tragedy is that most of us were never taught how to use it.

Instead, we were taught to suppress it, numb it, or escape from it—reinforcing the belief that something natural and inevitable is dangerous. When we tell ourselves or our students to “just relax,” we unknowingly confirm that the energy they feel is wrong, and that they are failing before they even begin.

But what if anxiety isn’t something to eliminate?

What if it’s something to ride?

Anxiety Is a Wave, Not a Wall

Imagine standing in the ocean as a wave approaches. One person panics, stiffens, and tries to outrun it. The wave crashes over them, knocks them down, and drags them under. Another person sees the same wave, times it, mounts it, and surfs it forward with speed and control.

The wave didn’t change.The surfer did.

Performance anxiety works the same way.

Adrenaline rises because your body perceives importance. It means you care. It means your nervous system is preparing you for something meaningful. Trying to eliminate anxiety is like trying to remove gravity from a jump—it defeats the very force that allows lift.

The real skill is not relaxation.

The real skill is regulation.

What Actually Happens in the Brain Under Pressure

To understand how to work with anxiety instead of against it, we must understand what it does to the brain.

A simplified—but extremely useful—model is the distinction between left-brain and right-brain processing.

While the brain is vastly more complex than a simple split, this framework helps us understand why performance often collapses under pressure.

Left-Brain Processing

The left hemisphere specializes in:

• Language and words

• Logic and analysis

• Sequencing and rules

• Self-criticism and judgment

• Planning and error correction

• “Shoulds,” “musts,” and internal commentary

This mode is invaluable in the practice room. It helps us diagnose problems, refine technique, plan phrasing, and correct mistakes.

But under performance stress, left-brain dominance becomes lethal.

When adrenaline spikes, the left brain goes into overdrive. It tries to control the situation by analyzing everything in real time:

• “Am I sharp?”

• “Was that good enough?”

• “What if I miss the next note?”

• “They’re judging me.”

• “Fix this now.”

This leads to what is commonly known as paralysis by analysis—a state where conscious control interferes with automatic skill.

Right-Brain Processing

The right hemisphere specializes in:

• Sound and image

• Sensation and movement

• Pattern recognition

• Emotion and expression

• Creativity and flow

• Presence and intuition

This is the state where peak performance happens.

In the right brain, there is no commentary. There is no self-monitoring. There is only doing.

This is what athletes call the zone and artists call flow—the state where action feels effortless, time distorts, and the performance seems to play itself.

Ironically, performers often practice in a semi-right-brain, intuitive way—running passages repeatedly, adjusting instinctively—but perform in an overactivated left-brain state when the pressure is on.

This is why technique “disappears” on stage.

It hasn’t vanished.It’s being blocked by the wrong mental state.

The Goal Is Not Calm—The Goal Is Coherence

Most performance advice aims to calm the nervous system. But calm is not the optimal performance state.

Coherence is.

Coherence means:

• Energy without chaos

• Focus without rigidity

• Intensity without panic

• Confidence without force

You do not need less adrenaline.You need better direction.

This is where Centering becomes transformative.

Centering: The Art of Entering the Zone on Command

Centering is not a relaxation technique. It is a state-shifting protocol.

Originally developed for elite athletes, centering teaches the nervous system how to transition from left-brain dominance into right-brain coherence—even under extreme pressure.

Once mastered, it takes seconds. And unlike motivational hype or forced positivity, it works regardless of mood.

Let’s break it down deeply.

Stage 1: Choose Your Center Point

The first problem under anxiety is scattered attention.

Your awareness jumps:

• to the audience

• to the judges

• to imagined mistakes

• to future outcomes

A fixed visual focal point stabilizes attention and pulls awareness out of the internal monologue.

Choose a point:

• Below eye level

• Neutral and unmoving

• Non-emotional

This could be:

• A spot on the floor

• The base of a stand

• The back wall of the room

This is not about staring—it is about anchoring awareness.

When attention stops bouncing, anxiety loses leverage.

Stage 2: Create an Unambiguous Intention

Anxiety thrives in vagueness.

Clear intention collapses uncertainty.

An intention is not a hope. It is a decision.

“I will communicate power and clarity.”“I will deliver with presence and freedom.”“I will commit fully to the sound.”

Avoid passive language. Avoid “try.” Avoid “don’t.”

The brain does not process negation well. It responds to imagery.

“Don’t crack” creates an image of cracking.“Stay grounded and open” creates an actionable sensation.

Your intention should describe:

• How you want to feel

• What you want to express

• The quality of your sound or movement

This pulls cognition out of fear and into purpose.

Stage 3: Conscious Diaphragmatic Breathing

Anxiety hijacks breathing first.

Shallow chest breathing signals danger to the nervous system and keeps the body in fight-or-flight mode.

Diaphragmatic breathing does the opposite.

Slow, deep breaths:

• Stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system

• Lower unnecessary tension

• Increase oxygen efficiency

• Stabilize heart rate

But this is not about calming down completely.

It is about grounding energy so it becomes usable.

Think of it as plugging adrenaline into a power outlet instead of letting it spark randomly.

Stage 4: Scan and Release Excess Tension

Under stress, muscles contract—often the ones you need most.

Jaw.Neck.Shoulders.Hands.Core.

Tension reduces precision and amplifies error.

A slow body scan—releasing tension on the exhale—restores mobility without reducing intensity.

This step is critical because:

• The body reflects the mind

• Releasing muscle tension sends a signal of safety to the brain

• Coordination improves instantly

You are not going limp.You are removing resistance.

Stage 5: Locate Your Center

Your physical center—often felt in the lower abdomen—is your anchor.

This is where balance, stability, and grounded power originate.

Performers who appear calm and commanding are not calm—they are centered.

Awareness in the center:

• Reduces mental chatter

• Improves posture and breath

• Creates a sense of authority and presence

Simply placing attention there interrupts left-brain dominance.

Stage 6: Restate Your Process Cue

Under pressure, performers try to control details.

This is fatal.

Instead, shift to a global, sensory cue:

• A feeling

• A sound image

• A physical sensation

Words like

• “Flow”

• “Open”

• “Grounded”

• “Connected”

• “Expansive”

Or no words at all—just the sensation of the performance already happening successfully.

This engages the right brain directly.

Stage 7: Direct the Energy

This is where anxiety becomes power.

Instead of suppressing adrenaline, you:

• Channel it into movement

• Aim it into expression

• Let it amplify commitment

This is the moment where nerves become presence.

The audience doesn’t see anxiety.They see intensity.

Training the Skill

At first, centering may take several minutes.

With daily practice—10 to 15 minutes—it becomes automatic.

Eventually:

• You can center in seconds

• You can re-center mid-performance

• You can use it in practice to prevent mindless repetition

This is not just a performance tool.It is a mastery tool.

Final Truth: Anxiety Is the Price of Meaning

If you feel anxious before performing, it means the work matters.

The goal is not to feel fearless.

The goal is to feel capable inside the fear.

Great performers are not calm people.They are trained surfers of internal waves.

Learn to ride the energy.

And you will never fear the stage again—not because anxiety disappears, but because it finally works for you, not against you.

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