What causes your body to jump into an adrenaline response? For most of us, snakes, spiders, and other creepy crawly things do the trick. Also, presumably, some really big apex predators, like lions, tigers, and bears, if you are ever unfortunate enough to get chased by one in the wild.
For almost all of us, having to stand up in front of a crowd and give a speech also causes your fight, flight, or freeze response to kick in. For me – and don’t hate me for this – I’ve been speaking long enough that I don’t get very nervous at all unless it has been a long time since I last spoke, or there’s something particularly challenging about the topic or the audience.
Instead, I save my nerves for two kinds of performance that I’ve been trying to master for many years: singing solos and playing the classic guitar. I was forcefully reminded of my adrenaline response recently when I was part of a guitar recital. It was a small crowd, maybe 30 people, and a very supportive and friendly crowd to boot – all friends and family. I had been doing a lot of work on redefining and channeling my adrenaline, so imagine my satisfaction when I sat down to play and felt reasonably calm. I loved the music I was playing – etudes by Leo Brouwer – and I was excited to play the pieces for these smiling faces.
But half-way through the first piece my right hand started shaking such that I couldn’t hit the notes accurately. I glared at my right hand – why was it interfering with the music? Do your job, RH! – and it temporarily subsided. But it came up again in the next piece.
Well, I survived, and the crowd was kind. But I was frustrated and determined to continue to work on the issue until my right hand could be rock solid. I had been focusing on meditative breathing, visualization, and practice, the three most reliable ways to keep adrenaline under control. But it seems like now is perhaps the time (before the next recital) to try some of the more off-beat ways of soothing the adrenaline response. And as if by magic, I ran across a recent study that introduced a new way to calm the nerves, one that I hadn’t seen before. So here is that new way to help with adrenaline, and four other ways besides for good measure. I hope at least one of these helps you – and me!
Look at images of people in secure, loving relationship with each other. Images of mothers and children, smiling, safe and secure apparently will immediately start soothing your nerves. They don’t have to be pictures of anyone you know; it’s the loving connection that is the point. The safety of the tribe is so important to us that any picture that suggests that sort of thing helps us feel better.
OK, what are some other off-beat (and easy) ways to reduce the adrenaline response?
Wash the dishes. Do this mindfully, and the soothing, repetitive nature of scrubbing the plates and glasses with warm, soapy water is very calming.
Be kind. Apparently, performing small acts of kindness helps you relax and feel better. I have seen speakers before their speech sometimes busy themselves with assisting audience members in simple, real ways, like helping someone to find a seat, or giving them a program or the like. Great idea! The distraction probably helps, too. But the main effect comes from receiving the warm vibe of gratitude.
Get modest exercise. This one works well if your stage fright shows up as the jitters, or excess nervous energy. Take a brisk walk or do some yoga-inspired exercise routine. You don’t want to exhaust yourself; just make yourself a little tired.
Eat fermented, pro-biotic foods. Yoghurt and sourdough bread, some kinds of cheese – all of these apparently are good for lessening anxiety. Who said dealing with nerves had to be hard? Apparently prebiotic foods (those are different) like asparagus, leeks, and onions help too. Eat your veggies!
So, before my next recital, I’m going to get up, go for a morning walk, have some bread and cheese and leeks with my green tea, clean up the dishes, and scan the Internet for pictures of happy babies with their parents, before knocking on my (infirm) neighbor’s door and offering to take out her trash for her. What’s your routine going to be?
As someone who has likewise experienced a bit of shaking and quaking I sympathize. I’ve tried the basic techniques too… controlled breathing, finding sympathetic audience members to focus on, being well prepared, etc. Looking at people in loving relationships is a new one, but it makes sense. About washing dishes though I remain a skeptic and eating pre-and probiotic foods could have its own set of uncomfortable and potentially embarrassing side-effects. The only thing that has reliably worked is frequency of effort, i.e. the more I’m in front of an audience, the more live practice I’ve endured the less anxious I become. It’s those long intermissions that I now fear most. Thanks for sharing some unique and novel approaches. Always welcome.
Thanks, Michael! Yes, you should definitely try each of these less typical approaches with caution! Especially the dietary ideas. I think the virtue of dishwashing is probably in distraction. None of these should stop anyone from breathing practices, rehearsal reps, or mental work. And to your point, there is no substitute for doing it every day or as close to every day as you can. There’s a marvelous recent book about Paul McCartney, and one of the bits that jumped out at me was the discussion of his stage fright after having not performed for a while as he made the move from Beatle to Wings and being mostly a solo artist. If the best rock and roll bass player of all time gets nervous, we’re at least in very good company.