Overcoming Stage Phobia, Essay Example

Introduction

Stage phobia refers to fear, anxiety or a persistent phobia that arises when a person is about to perform or is performing to an audience, whether potential (like in front of a camera) or actual. It is also called glossophobia and is one of the commonest phobias. This anxiety may occur before or during the time of performance which involves self-presentation in presentation in public. It is common among athletes and musicians where it occurs as the fear of underperforming. Stage phobia may part of a larger group of group of anxiety disorders referred to as social Phobia.

Causes of Stage Phobia

Stage phobia arises as a result of activation adrenergic nervous system. This system of nervous system is activated when a human being is in a potentially dangerous environment and is responsible for the fright or fight manifested by individuals under threat. In this case, the system is activated with without a danger may be because of the anxiety caused by the anticipation of how the performance will be. When stage phobia occurs, the performer usually experience a faster heart beat. The performer also notices his heart is pounding more than the normal. The performer experiences dryness of mouth and tics of the facial nerve. All these effects are as a result of activation of adrenergic nervous system.

Prevention of Stage Phobia

To prevent stage phobia the performer is advised to get composed before starting the performance. The performer is supposed to underrate the significance of the audience or the judges. This helps to reduce anxiety during a performance since this anxiety is brought about by the thinking that the audience has a lot of influence on the performance and they determine our fate in the performance. Again eliminate the thought that you may fail in the performance. The thinking that the performer may not perform to the expected standards creates a lot of anxiety in the performer. The performer should also consider the outcome of the performance as insignificance to his later life since the thought that the presentation is very crucial to ones later life causes more anxiety. The performer should control thoughts of uncertainty in him and know that he cannot control other people’s reactions.

When the performer is experiencing stage phobia, he can take some medications like Beta blockers, which inhibit the adrenergic nervous system. Some performers use alcohol to reduce their anxiety but this causes addiction in the performer, as witnessed in many performers who are alcoholics (John 132).

Work Cited

John B, Psychology: Social Phobias in Musicians. New York: Freeman publishers, 2003.