Psychologists tell us that we should use the energy of nervousness and turn it into EXCITEMENT. We should welcome it as an opening of energy we can use. This may take time to learn to apply and execute because being nervous can create a faster heartbeat, erratic breathing, sweaty palms, shaky knees, and a lack of control of the abdominal muscles.
When these things happen, here are some secrets that will help you overcome nervousness:
1. Take a medium-size breath into the sides and back of your body. Yes, the ideal is a low deep breath, but when you’re nervous often the muscles in the stomach just won’t allow for the the lower stomach to release out. Making the focus about the rib cage and sides expanding will be a good place to start until you train yourself to take the low deep breath in these situations.
2. Tighten your abdominal muscles! This is where you produce the perfect amount of breathe pressure for your voice to sing specific notes. If your abdominal muscles are not engaged, you’ll feel strain in neck muscles and ultimately put unnecessary stress on the vocal cords.
3. Press down into your pelvic area like you’re going to the bathroom. This part of the body is where a lot of stress is carried.
4. Start singing your song or talking, but remember to not let go of the muscles tightening, even when you breathe in.
5. If you have cottonmouth, bite down on the tongue gently to release saliva.
The more practice you get performing and talking in front of others, you’ll gain more confidence to believe you can hit all the pitches and remember the words. When you know how to handle your voice and practice regularly, these problems will become less and less. You may still feel nerves, but you’ll learn how to use them as excitement to energize your performance.
