How to Manage Performance Anxiety with Alexander Technique

Performance anxiety is experienced by just about everyone, in many different kinds of situations, not just by performers who go out on stage in front of an audience.  People can even suffer from a form of performance anxiety while having an intimate conversation with a close friend.  All kinds of performance anxiety can be alleviated by applying the Alexander Technique to the situation.

Here is a link to an article I wrote some years ago on this topic:
Performance Anxiety ~ A Way to Deal with it that Works!  http://alexandertechnique.com/resources/PerformanceAnxietyGuide.pdf



Here are the core ideas, in a nutshell:

• You recognize your habitual response to a situation (scary thoughts, sweat, shaking, etc.)
• You remember that you are free; you see that you have a choice–how you respond is up to you
• You know the old way doesn’t work, so you decide to stop doing that and try something new
• Since the old way was to try to get rid of or change the situation, this time you won’t do that
• You don’t do anything other than let your feelings be there, allowing yourself to feel them
• Once you feel the feelings, you come to know them, and then they’re no longer frightening
• When there’s nothing to be afraid of, the feelings of performance anxiety (fear) disappear.


...and then you can ENJOY yourself.  Magic!

I would love to hear your responses to this article, especially if you try out the suggestions, or if you have another way to deal with performance anxiety.