Controlling your audition nervousness is crucial for your success in life. You want to be at your healthiest, most relaxed, and most confident self when you stand on that platform. However, your fear over the outcome may seem impossible to avoid, thus causing anxiety.
Anxiety about performing is common. Professionals learn to deal with it, but it never completely disappears. Don’t mistake your nervousness to signify that you lack talent or don’t deserve to achieve your goals.
If you’re not frightened, you must possess a hidden superpower that we all would like to know. The fact is that everyone has audition nervousness. We want you to know that being anxious has nothing to do with your talent or potential as a performer, whether you dance or give a speech.
Now, let’s talk about coping with audition anxieties. We’ll provide some strategies to help you relax before your audition. But before that, let’s look at what exactly anxiety is.
What is Anxiety?
Anxiety is a “moderate or severe sensation of disquiet, such as concern or fear.” It’s common to feel nervous before an interview or undertake something new. Your heart rate may increase, and you may become hot and sweaty.
Anxiety disorder, social phobia, particular phobias, and psychiatric conditions are anxiety disorders. Anxiety might be caused by a medical issue that requires treatment or the stressful situations in our lives. There is a possibility of a person having more than one anxiety condition.
Why Does Audition Anxiety Occur?
Before an audition or performance, most of us experience some nervousness. Many performers thrive on a little bit of fear, which they use to fill their work with emotions and feelings.
The problem arises when that “small amount” shifts into the crippling fight-or-flight response we outlined previously.
It’s a regular occurrence. According to a 2015 survey, 23% of male actors and 28% of female actresses have experienced crippling performance anxiety at some time in their careers. Similar percentages have been found in other studies among musicians and dancers, who must regularly demonstrate their talent in auditions.
Surprisingly, experience alone does not reduce audition nervousness among performers. The more real training a performer has, the more they will get prone. It is also true for vocalists and other artists.
Ways To Deal With Audition Anxiety
Mindfulness is an excellent thing to do.
Being aware of or conscious of one’s thoughts, feelings, emotions, and circumstances in the present moment is characterized as mindfulness.
There are other mindfulness activities, but meditation is the most basic and widely used. According to various experts, mindfulness-based activities can reduce stress and enhance general psychological performance.
During an audition, you experience jitters because it is a stressful circumstance for you, and your body reacts by producing chemicals and hormones that make you feel restless.
You’ll have a less intense stress reaction and feel calmer in high-pressure circumstances if you can enhance how your body manages stress (via meditation).
You may take your stress-reduction efforts even further by incorporating a yoga practice into your daily routine. Yoga increases heart rate variability (HRV), the difference in time between successive heartbeats. According to Harvard Health, a higher HRV is linked to a better capacity to tolerate stress.
Do tactical breathing.
Tactical breathing is one of the most basic but adequate methods for turning down the fight or flight response. Navy Seals employ a Tactical Breathing technique to help them perform better under pressure.
Take a deep breath to the count of four, hold your breath for four counts, then exhale to the count of four again. This tactical breathing technique may deactivate your stress reaction. You can do it right before your audition to ease your anxiety.
Have Gummies or Candies.
Gum chewing not only freshens your breath but also relieves anxiety and tension. The saliva and increased blood flow can help you relax by calming your thoughts. Another option you might wish to try is CBD gummies from Sunday Scaries.. The CBD gummies help soothe you in a stressful or anxiety-inducing situation, like auditions, without making you sleepy. They are simple to consume and are available in many forms, including vegan, high potency, and low potency. All these forms further provide multiple flavor options. Furthermore, CBD products containing less than 0.3% THC are considered legal on a federal level. It might be an excellent option for CBD beginners. Also, you might be wondering what are Sunday Scaries? Now, this can be solved when you visit their website
Visualize Worst Fear-Setting.
You’ve probably heard that you should picture good results to achieve them. However, another approach is consciously imagining the worst-case scenario and coming to terms with it.
It is the art of fear-setting founded on stoic philosophy. Tim Ferris popularized stoicism in his TED presentation, calling it an operating system for flourishing in high-stress circumstances, and making better judgments.
On the other hand, Tim Ferris did not invent the notion of fear-setting. At first, the stoic premeditation Malorum, or the foreseeing of ills, was its name. It has been there for a very long time.
Get Some Honey or Green Tea.
Green tea contains L-Theanine, a substance that can help lower stress reactions in the body. Plus, because of the earthy color’s propensity to soothe, just looking at a cup of the green liquid on your desk could help you relax!
Bee honey has been shown to aid with anxiety, sadness, and even brain protection. Honey can be drizzled in tea, coffee, yogurt, or eaten directly from the jar with a spoon.
Additional tip
Many pros employ the simple strategy of attending as many auditions as possible.
You should search for any opportunity to perform outside of auditions, especially if you’re starting. Grab whatever chance you can to sit in front of an audience, push through your fear, and perform regardless: county fairs, local talent events, non-profit fundraisers.
Many of us put off doing things that we are afraid of; it may be a problematic speech or a hard riff that you can’t seem to master. We may avoid situations where we might feel judged because we are afraid of rejection or criticism.
It’s not simple to walk into an audition. It’s a solitary sensation that might feel like the pinnacle of your existence. And all of that stress may easily lead to signs of performance anxiety, which can jeopardize your ability to execute and perform well.
However, you are not alone. Though stage fright may be humiliating and distressing, employing these tried-and-true tactics might help you calm down and feel confident in your audition.