Faith Over Stage Fright: How to Beat Performance Anxiety

I still remember the day when performance anxiety became a thing for me.

I’d been playing piano for a decade, having stunned judges at a fifth-grade talent show and wowed my peers with a Brahms rhapsody at the National Honor Society banquet. Then came college. It was my freshman year, my first time performing in forum, a formal gathering of all the music majors. I crossed the stage, positioned myself on the piano bench . . . and immediately forgot what I was supposed to play.

That was the day performance anxiety sunk its hook in me.

Gripped by panic, I prayed, though it was more a silent scream of terror in my heart than coherent words inside my brain. Then I threw my fingers at the keyboard, and God delivered. I played the entire piece entirely by muscle memory, my brain completely detached from my hands. Afterward, I took my bow, walked off stage, and collapsed in tears. 

That was the day performance anxiety sank its hook in me. Anyone who’s dealt with this knows performance anxiety is a cycle. Once you get on it, it’s difficult to get off. How I managed to obtain a degree in music, including the required, fully-memorized senior recital, can only be attributed to God’s grace. 

I know what performance anxiety can do to a person. You could be the best musician, the best athlete, the best intellect, but nobody would ever know it because every time you step on stage, the court, the field, wherever your work lies, your nerves dictate your performance. It’s a tough one to shake.

It’s also beatable.

Christian Teens And Performance Anxiety

The key to overcoming performance anxiety lies not in suppressing your nerves, but working with them. Feelings and sensations offer valuable information. For example, fear is a lifesaver if it runs you away from a dangerous situation. But when you’re standing in front of a microphone or holding a basketball, your life is rarely in danger. Therefore, the key to taming the beast is developing and maintaining a sense of control over your feelings and reactions.

Most resources on breaking the cycle of performance anxiety will stop at that. But for Christian teens with performance anxiety, you have a deeper source of power to tap into, one that is often far underutilized. So I’m going to suggest a few steps to help you overcome performance anxiety, but always with this power in mind.

How to Break the Cycle of Performance Anxiety in 7 Steps

1) Closer to a performance, prime your strengths.

“As for you, continue in the things you have learned and about which you have become convinced.”

2 Timothy 3:14

The hours leading up to a performance are not the time for intense drilling and correction.

This is the first thing most of us get wrong. As a performance or game approaches, we tend to spend all our practice time frantically drilling the skills we’re weakest on—a certain passage of music that keeps tripping you up, a certain basketball shot you can never make…

The hours leading up to a performance, however, are not the time for intense drilling and correction. That time will come again, but on the day of the big event, your warm-up time is best spent reminding yourself of what you’re capable of. Musicians should warm up with the best parts of their piece rather than frantically trying to polish up a known rough spot. Athletes might choose to run through a few quick drills that emphasize their best skills.

Build confidence by reminding yourself, yes, I actually know how to do this, and my strengths far outweigh my weaknesses. This isn’t arrogance. This is praising God for the amazing creation you are, for the brain, body, and talents he has blessed you with. Worship him with your awesome work!

2) Fight the baby monsters first.

“Your beginnings will seem humble, so prosperous will your future be.”

Job 8:7

Instead of trying to tackle your tension, anxiety, and fear—the giant monsters—start with the smallest item you have control over that’s related to the situation. Something as simple as:

1. your breathing
2. what time you show up for an event
3. where to focus your eyes
4. your warm-up ritual

Once you get a foothold on one thing, gradually climb the ladder to something bigger until you’ve hit the monster right on the head.

3) Give yourself a choice—to quit.

“[God] set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace.”

Galatians 1:15

It’s not always all or nothing. All or nothing often leaves you with nothing. Sometimes something is enough.

All or nothing often leaves you with nothing. Sometimes something is enough.

It’s okay to entertain the idea of slowing down or giving up altogether. You are not required to do this thing in order to win God’s love. By actively considering quitting, you give yourself the choice to continue. It becomes your decision—not your coach’s, or your teacher’s, or your mom’s.

And if, after considering quitting, you find yourself still there, you know it’s because you want to do whatever it is you’re doing.

4) Come out in the open.

“The truth will set you free.”

John 8:32

Think you’re the only one who’s afraid? That’s because everyone else is doing the exact same thing you’re doing—hiding their fear. Believing you might be the only one barely holding it together multiplies your anxiety.

Be the one who breaks the cycle of performance anxiety by allowing yourself to do something you thought was negative: Let your anxiety out. Tell your audience. Share your fears with your teammates. Confess your worries to your coach/teacher/supervisor. The few who have never felt a single fear (and are clearly not human) will be far outnumbered by the ones who know exactly how you feel.

There is power in embracing the truth rather than fighting it.

5) Adopt a ritual.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.”

Colossians 3:23

I used to think rituals were stupid and superstitious. Indeed, there are some who believe their game performance is directly tied to wearing pink socks or following an exact pre-game routine.

Adopting a ritual shifts your focus to behaviors you are in charge of.

That’s not what I’m suggesting here.

Adopting a ritual shifts your focus to behaviors you are in charge of (see #1) and pushes items you have little control over to the back of the mind. Something as simple as running the same scales right before a piano recital, or practicing the same number of swings before going up to bat. A ritual is a coping mechanism for the brain, convincing you you have more control than you think.

Just don’t fall for the lie that you’ll definitely fail if you don’t follow it to a tee.

6) See your emotions as messengers, not dictators.

“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best.”

Philippians 1:9-10

In my post Faith Over Feelings, I warn against letting your feelings dictate your beliefs. But never do I say you should detach completely from your feelings. The same applies here.

You are not a nuts-and-bolts robot—a body pre-programmed for a specific outcome. Everything you do, including this performance, involves all of you, including your emotions. Negative or unsettling emotions may come unexpectedly, but it’s up to you to decide what to do with them.

In his book Do Hard Things (a highly recommended read), performance expert Steve Magness suggests this exercise:

1. Put yourself in an uncomfortable situation related to your fears.
2. Direct your attention to what you’re feeling and sit with that sensation. Experience without judging.
3. Describe what you’re feeling.
4. Separate physical sensations from the feeling (i.e., sweaty palms from anxiety).
5. Give it a name: “performance adrenaline.”
6. Either reframe those feelings as information you can choose to listen to and learn from, or simply let them float on by.

Learn from your emotions and sensations, but don’t let them drive your actions. Some feelings are meaningless or unimportant—false alarms triggered by your overactive inner self. Teach yourself not to react so strongly to these.

7) Look at the situation through a wide-angle lens.

” . . . fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.”

Hebrews 12:2

Real confidence is not saying everything will work out fine. It’s believing you’ll be fine even if it doesn’t. (See my post What is Genuine Confidence—And Where Can I Get Some?)

Most of the time, the worst that could happen really isn’t all that bad.

The bigger picture is Jesus loves you, he’s got your back, and your earthly performance will in no way affect your eternity. This moment will pass and be forgotten someday.

Heaven, however, is forever.

Performance anxiety grows when you zoom in on the situation as if it were the most important thing. Ask yourself, what’s the worst that could happen? Embarrassment? Losing the game? Earning a low score? Failure to make the cut?

All these things, while unpleasant, pale when you zoom out and look at the bigger picture. Most of the time, the worst that could happen really isn’t all that bad.

Related: 21 Bible Verses to Calm Anxiety from Ramsey Solutions

You Can Do It!

Remember, some nerves are good. A healthy dose of adrenaline keeps you alert and active so your performance doesn’t lag. But you don’t need to let your fear rule you or run you away from something you love. You can tame the beast, overcome performance anxiety, and live to tell about it!

More Resources on Christian Teens and Performance Anxiety

Did you know even pros experience performance anxiety? I interviewed three professional performing artists to see how they handle it. Get an inside peek in Break the Cycle of Performance Anxiety: Inside the Minds of Pros.

Other posts to help boost your confidence:

• Lacking Self-Confidence? You Don’t Need It!
• More Than “Get a Grip”: How to Work Through Performance Anxiety (from the mental health professionals at Christian Family Solutions)