Stage fright corresponds to a stressful situation before public appearances. Over time, anxiety disorders can develop from the phenomenon. If this happens, cognitive behavioral therapy helps to reevaluate the negatively perceived situation.
What is stage fright?
Stage fright can affect a wide variety of areas of life. In the expanded definition, any kind of tension or stress before a public performance, an exam, or a dangerous situation is called stage fright. Basically, stage fright is related to test anxiety. Other forms of stage fright include camera fright, microphone fright, and public speaking fright. Since the professional reputation of performance artists in particular is constantly put to the test with their performance on stage, stage fright is especially widespread among them. In this context, the basic form of stage fright is not evaluated as a pathological condition, but is often even described as a favorable circumstance. Due to stage fright, there is a basic tension that many performance artists find motivating and performance-enhancing. However, as soon as stage fright with physical symptoms occurs more often, it can develop into a social phobia. After unpleasant performance experiences, anxiety can develop about the fear coming back. This perpetuates a loop of fear of public evaluation, as the individual will again not perform well in fear of the fear. The negative view of the situation can thus stabilize. Any type of stage fright develops based on the impression that one’s performance will be seen and evaluated by the public.
Causes
Stress is a natural reaction to imminent tasks of certain complexity. Over the course of evolution, the sensation of stress was intended to ensure survival in dangerous situations and to prepare for flight or fight through hormones such as adrenaline. Some stress symptoms of stage fright affect groups of performers more than others. Stress-related dry mouth and throat, difficult swallowing, or shortened breath spans can weaken the voice, especially in actors and singers. In addition, pianists with stress-induced wet hands lose secure keyboard grip. In addition, the neuromuscular system can be affected by stress, causing a significant drop in performance quality for instrumentalists, actors, and athletes. Instrumentalists especially suffer from stress-induced hand tremors, which minimize their performance quality. Similarly, in the case of speech anxiety before public, non-artistic performances such as a paper, the perceived stress can have devastating consequences on performance. For example, the speaker may forget the text or experience a general block. Once perceived stress has led to impaired performance and a subsequent negative evaluation by the observing public, a spiral of negative expectations about one’s performance develops. Due to the selectivity of perception, those affected are henceforth reinforced in the negative evaluation of their performance, as they only seem to absorb criticism and hardly ever hear praise. A social phobia develops.
Symptoms, complaints, and signs
Patients with stage fright suffer from mental physical symptoms. Any stage fright is a temporary state of mind in situations with stress of expectation. The body of the affected person prepares to cope with the upcoming task. As a physiological reaction, the adrenaline level of the affected person increases. Blood flow to the brain and muscles increases and the sufferer feels more alert. The ability to react increases. The mental readiness to perform is activated. Clinically, acute stress presents with symptoms such as flushing, palpitations, trembling, irritability, tension, and physical or emotional anxiety. In addition, stage fright can lead to lack of concentration and forgetfulness. Every person reacts differently to stressful situations. For this reason, the symptoms of stage fright can also differ from person to person. While some performers recognize the phenomenon as closely related to infatuation, others find it unpleasant. As soon as stage fright develops into a social phobia, other symptoms such as nausea, circulatory problems or abdominal pain often set in.In extreme cases, stage fright can lead to fainting spells. In some places, the phenomenon has been compared to the cannon fever of soldiers before battle, which is known as blood pressure-increasing excitement due to imminent danger.
Diagnosis and course of the disease
Stage fright is clinically relevant only when it develops into a habitualized manifestation of physically intolerable symptoms or a social phobia. It is also diagnostically relevant in the context of extreme fear of failure and depression, low self-esteem, or a socially debilitating anxiety disorder. The boundary between positively perceived and negatively impairing perceived stage fright is fluid. Only the latter form has clinical relevance.
Complications
The complications associated with so-called stage fright are, in the case of a manifestation outside the range of a social phobic variant, at best of an embarrassing nature. For example, due to the increased pulse and perceived stress, body control may be partially forfeited, which may be evident in spontaneous erections, uncontrolled leakage of urine, or poor pronunciation. These things often additionally intensify the stage fright and lead to a form of performance or lecture anxiety in those affected. A complication arises from this only if it means that the affected person can no longer fulfill their social or professional duties as a result. If a fear of stage fright develops due to the expectation of failing or being exposed to severe stress in corresponding situations, the problem is more serious. This can lead to an impairment of self-perception, as the idea of not being able to satisfy the audience prevails in the mind of the affected person. Thus, complexes may develop in some cases. Purely physical complications occur in connection with substances that people with stage fright use to overcome the same. For example, excessive use of beta blockers can lead to heart damage and depressive moods. Alcohol and other substances that may be habitually taken before performances carry the potential for dependence and involve even further complications.
When should you see a doctor?
Ordinary stage fright, which occurs in many people in appropriate situations, is not a reason to see a doctor. This is because slight tension, possible inhibitions and the other symptoms do not necessarily lead to failure. Instead, most people still manage to cope with exam and performance situations – although they may have an uncomfortable feeling before and during them. Thus, despite their mild anxiety, the affected individuals are still fully functional. The case is different if the stage fright severely limits the person affected. This is the case, for example, when the symptoms become strongly noticeable physically, the stage fright really prevents the performance of an activity, or there is a fear of the fear. The last case means a heavy burden for the affected person. Thus, the sole fear of the symptoms of stage fright leads to a very stressful state and fear of failure. Accordingly, the transition to sociophobia is also smooth, which can mean additional limitations. As the probability of consuming addictive substances for compensation increases with rising anxiety, a visit to the doctor is recommended at the latest then. According to the fact that it is an anxiety disorder, psychotherapists or other, psychologically trained people are the right place to go.
Treatment and therapy
Patients with stage fright have a major advantage in treatment compared to patients with most other anxiety disorders. While the primary cause for most other anxiety patients lies in the dark and must first be excavated therapeutically, the primary cause for stage fright is already known. Thus, numerous coping strategies are available. Patients should evaluate their tension and all related changes as positive and consider them meaningful and beneficial. This can be done by means of cognitive behavioral therapy, which gives patients a new way of evaluating their previous experiences.Psychotherapeutic or psychologically accompanied therapy in connection with stage fright is only necessary if the condition causes blockages and triggers actual fear. As long as stage fright does not become pathological, it can be compensated, especially by stage performers, by enjoying the activity and expecting admiration. Through self-reflexive techniques, mental techniques and body-oriented approaches as well as breathing and relaxation methods, stage fright among artists can usually be managed well without therapy, for example with the Alexander Technique or Feldenkrais Method. Examination anxiety, on the other hand, can often be countered by efficient management, for example by frequent confrontation with competitions, competitive situations, tests of courage. Systematic organization of exams is also useful in this context. In the case of stage fright before sports situations, the highest attention should be paid to hazard management.
Outlook and prognosis
The prognosis for stage fright and test anxiety depends on several factors. Particularly noteworthy is the aspect of whether or not one is receiving professional treatment. If this is the case, the chance of permanently overcoming stage fright is relatively good. However, there is no guarantee that you will be free of test anxiety forever. Relapses are possible and unsuccessful therapies also occur. But even without therapy, there is a chance of recovery. Here, women have an advantage over men. Women are more likely to talk about their problems than men. Men often find it difficult to admit personal problems to themselves and to others. As a result, they suppress the problem and stage fright may even worsen. In any case, it is helpful to talk about exam nerves with others and possibly also to exchange ideas with others who are also affected. In this way, coping strategies can be exchanged and emotional crises can be overcome more quickly. Stage fright is a condition that rarely disappears suddenly. The prognosis gets better with each mastered situation, because it is an ongoing learning process, both for the psyche and for the body.
Prevention
There is little point in trying to prevent stage fright completely. Instead, stage fright should be recognized and used as an opportunity to improve performance.
Aftercare
Successful therapy against stage fright does not mean that it cannot nevertheless occur again and again. Then it is important to always have mentally present the elements of processing stage fright that have already been put to use. In this way, the stage fright is effectively combated again. These measures are usually effective in different ways for each individual. These include certain rituals whose habituation usually requires very little mental effort. These should be trained anyway so intensively that they are available at any time ready for call. In particular this is the case in situations which are again felt as stressful, which can be linked with stage fright. The knowledge acquired in training against this condition to relax mind and body should also be immediately available. This includes especially conscious and relaxation-promoting breathing. This is highly recommended in the area of aftercare for stage fright, as it can be used again with minimal effort. An appropriate preparation for the fact that the use of ways for the aftercare with stage fright can become necessary at any time is therefore advisable. Individual techniques worked out in advance are just as much a part of this, which can differ greatly from one another. Furthermore, the first priority in the aftercare of stage fright is that all measures must be well trained.
This is what you can do yourself
Stage fright is quite normal in certain situations and can even be considered positive if it does not get out of hand and thus affect performance. Allowing the nervousness can already be the first step towards overcoming it. Affected persons should be aware that their fellow human beings hardly notice small insecurities as a rule and in the rarest cases perceive them as negative. Many people feel more confident before a public appearance or an exam if they replay the feared situation several times in their minds beforehand. This pictorial imagination, also called visualization, is repeated until the positive sequence has been completely internalized and the exercise can be ended with a positive feeling.Immediately before the event, relaxation and breathing exercises help to reduce nervousness to a tolerable level. Bach flowers or homeopathic remedies can also help to achieve inner calm. Alcohol, on the other hand, is not advisable as an anxiety reliever: even small amounts reduce concentration, and in excess, complete loss of control can be the result. Stress and a hectic pace can also intensify stage fright: before the performance, enough time should therefore be planned for final preparations and relaxation exercises; if you are very nervous, a short walk in the fresh air can be useful. In the long term, positive self-talk helps to boost self-confidence.
