Understanding Performance Anxiety: Exploring Underlying Factors, Symptoms and Treatment Strategies

Have you ever felt so nervous before a big exam that you struggled to fall asleep?

Does your stomach tend to knot up, and your mouth turns dry when giving a presentation at work?

Experiencing performance anxiety, otherwise known as stage fright, is quite common and understandable. After all, we want to do well at our jobs and feel accomplished. Performance anxiety can be caused by psychological factors such as fear of failure, negative self-talk, and past traumatic experiences. While for most people, performance anxiety might work in their favour, increasing their focus and boosting their motivation, for others, it can become overpowering, negatively affecting the quality of their lives.

Luckily, there are many treatment options for performance anxiety and strategies to utilize whenever it rears its head at those crucial moments. In this blog post, we discuss the symptoms, causes and mental health issues connected to performance anxiety and share effective coping ways used in cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) and mindfulness that can help you regain balance in your life.

Demystifying Performance Anxiety: An In-depth Look

Imagine you’re getting ready to perform in front of others, whether it be giving a presentation at work, taking an oral exam or competing in sports. All of a sudden, you grow more and more self-aware, noticing your sweaty hands, faster heartbeat, and that little discouraging voice in your head which makes you second-guess yourself.

Even though not a formal diagnosis, performance anxiety is a serious issue, often qualified as a symptom of Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD). It can:

1. appear when anticipating situations where you want to meet certain expectations
2. be present whenever you’re involved in a particularly demanding task,
3. fill you with feelings varying from slight nervousness to paralyzing fear and self-doubt,
4. impede your ability to do your job well or pursue your passions,
5. decrease your self-esteem and confidence.

If that’s your case, remember that you’re not alone, and you might benefit from anxiety therapy, within which you can discuss your issue and learn healthy ways to deal with it.

Recognising the Signs: Performance Anxiety Symptoms

When it comes to performance anxiety, everybody has their personal zone of optimal arousal, meaning we all can experience stage fright in different situations and with varied intensity, including during sexual activity. However, there are some common symptoms, and learning to recognise them is the first step towards figuring out how to overcome performance anxiety properly, especially if the individual was unable to perform the last time.

Symptoms of performance anxiety

Physical symptoms

1. rapid heartbeat
2. sweating
3. trembling
4. numbness
5. digestive issues
6. tensed muscles
7. lump in the throat
8. dry mouth
9. short breath

Emotional symptoms

1. fear
2. excessive worry
3. embarrassment
4. significant distress

Cognitive symptoms

1. poor focus
2. negative self-talk
3. low quality of performance:
4. i.e. mind going “blank”

Behavioural symptoms

1. avoidance of triggering situations
2. social withdrawal
3. relationship issues
   

   

What Is the Cause of Performance Anxiety?

Did you know that over 70% of professional musicians grapple with performance anxiety in the UK alone?

It’s also a common struggle among athletes, students and professionals. Nervousness is natural before or during an important event where you’re put on a spot and vulnerable. Being the center of attention can trigger performance anxiety in individuals, causing symptoms similar to those experienced during a fight-or-flight response. Yet, overwhelming anxiety can negatively affect your thoughts, emotions, and performance.

Finding out how to get over performance anxiety involves recognising potential causes of this issue:

Self-fulfilling Prophecy

Let’s say you struggle with anxiety about work performance. Negative thoughts and growing discomfort make you dread the public speech at the upcoming conference. The closer the event, the more self-conscious you get and the worse you handle the speech. As a result, your distress around public speaking and desire to avoid it get more intense.

If that scenario (so common among those with social anxiety) sounds familiar, your self-defeating attitude might add fuel to this vicious cycle.

Unrelenting Standards

Perfectionism is defined as self-imposed unrealistic expectations and the abusive self-talk that comes with failing to meet them. On a cognitive level, it’s characterised by thinking errors, such as:

1. black-and-white thinking:
   i.e. “Either I win this race, or I’m a failure.”
2. catastrophising:
   i.e. “If I choke up on a stage, they will always ridicule me for it.”

Speaking to yourself harshly does not help at all. It only heightens your anxiety while lowering the confidence necessary to perform well.

Fear of Failure

Our reality consists of both: successes and failures. Yet, we often try to achieve perfection and avoid making mistakes at all costs. While supposedly protecting us, this behaviour only contributes to a negative spiral where you overly focus on all the things that could go wrong, i.e.:

What if…

1. they get annoyed or bored with me? 
2. I stumble and fall and make a fool out of myself?
3. my mind goes blank, and I forget all my lines?

Rather than doing your best, that fear of failure hijacks your focus, directing it to everything you should avoid, which is counterproductive.

Relaxation Techniques for Overcoming Performance Anxiety

Performance anxiety usually triggers the amygdala – the brain region that detects threats and releases adrenaline: the stress hormone (1). Ideally, it’s supposed to help us reach peak performance, yet it can often overwhelm us, increase heart rate and cause significant discomfort.

That’s where deep breathing relaxation techniques step in, soothing your body and calming your mind. Next time you feel anxiety creeping in, try this mindfulness-based exercise used by Navy SEALs to reduce stress:

Box Breathing

1. Inhale, counting slowly to four:
2. notice the air filling your lungs
3. observe the sensation of breathing in through your nose
4. Hold your breath for four seconds.
5. Exhale through your mouth, counting to four.
6. Keep your lungs empty for four seconds.
7. Repeat until relaxed and grounded.

How to Stop Performance Anxiety with Mental Strategies

Our bodies and minds are interconnected, which means that aside from relaxation techniques, mental strategies come in handy as well, especially:

Positive Visualisation

This technique, commonly used in performance anxiety treatment and popular among athletes, musicians and other performers, helps:

1. overcome mental obstacles,
2. build confidence,
3. boost motivation,
4. increase motor functions (2)

It boils down to a meditative practice of imagining your future success with all its details, such as your feelings, bodily sensations, sensory elements, surroundings, other people accompanying you etc. Mental rehearsal can help you get in the right mindset and prepare for that upcoming experience.

Lifestyle Changes that Work to Reduce Performance Anxiety

There are also small ways which you can implement in the daily routines that help overcome performance anxiety:

Healthy Lifestyle

Generally speaking, taking proper care of your body and mind can help you build inner resources to face stage fright. Remember to consider aspects of your life such as:

1. having a balanced diet filled with unprocessed foods,
2. improving your sleep habits,
3. limiting caffeine and sugar,
4. hydrating enough,
5. exercising.

Face Your Fears

Moving toward your fears can sound intimidating, but you can do it gradually, one step at a time. While mental preparation is important, taking action is crucial in getting more familiar with the discomfort and overcoming performance anxiety.

If it’s an oral exam or an upcoming job interview that stresses you out, try:

1. preparing and rehearsing on your own,
2. performing in front of your close friends or loved ones who make you feel comfortable.
3. Making eye contact with your audience can help you establish a connection and feel more at ease during your performance, allowing you to convey confidence and engage with your listeners effectively

Seek Support: Professional Treatments for Performance Anxiety

If performance anxiety has negatively affected your life, preventing you from following your passions, developing personally or fulfilling your daily responsibilities, remember that there are effective ways to overcome that issue for good.

If you suffer from severe performance anxiety regarding your sex life, you might consider taking medications, only after consulting with your doctor.

Performance anxiety is commonly addressed in talking therapies like Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness or Anxiety Therapy.

Starting a therapeutic process is an amazing opportunity to discuss your issue in detail, reach the root cause and uncover the underlying unhelpful beliefs, and learn tools and techniques to reduce stress and anxiety linked to performing. Living a life that’s free from the self-defeating cycle of performance anxiety is possible and within your reach.

All you need to do is take action, so don’t wait up and contact us for a free 15-minute consultation today.