Three Tips to Start Overcoming Stage Fright
In Part 1, we talked about what’s actually happening underneath stage fright: the nervous system response that turns a stage into a threat. If you haven’t read it yet, start there. Today, we’re getting practical.
Here are three things you can start doing right now.
1. Visualize the save, not just the success.
You’ve probably heard that visualization works. And it does…but most people only visualize the perfect performance. Here’s what’s missing: your nervous system also needs to experience recovering from something going wrong.
Try this: close your eyes and imagine a great show. Feel it, see it, live it. Then, let something go sideways: a missed line, a dropped cue, an unexpected stumble. Now watch yourself handle it. You improvise. You recover. The scene keeps moving. The audience barely notices.
When you do this, you’re building neural networks that have “experienced” both a great show and a great save. So when something actually goes wrong on stage, (and eventually something always does) your nervous system already knows what to do. It’s been there before.
2. Watch your language.
Your mind believes your words. So when you tell yourself I’m so nervous, your body leans in and says, got it, let’s be nervous.
Here’s a simple but powerful reframe: swap nervous for excited. Physiologically, the two feelings are almost identical: racing heart, heightened awareness, buzzing energy. The difference is the story you’re telling about what that feeling means.
Even more importantly, stop identifying with the feeling. A feeling is just a feeling. It’s not a fact, and it’s not you. Instead of “I’m nervous,” try: I’m having an excited feeling or I’m experiencing some excitement. It sounds subtle, but it creates just enough distance to keep you in the driver’s seat instead of at the mercy of the feeling.
3. Build a pre-show ritual.
Presence is everything when you’re performing. A grounding ritual before an audition or performance helps your nervous system shift out of threat-mode and into the present moment which is exactly where your best work lives.
Your ritual doesn’t have to be elaborate. It just has to be yours. Some performers swear by breathwork. Others use movement, music, or a specific warm-up sequence. One tool I particularly love recommending is Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT tapping) a simple practice that helps regulate the nervous system quickly and effectively. You can learn the basics in minutes, and it’s something you can do quietly backstage.
The consistency matters more than the content. When your nervous system learns that this is what we do before we perform, it starts to associate that ritual with safety and safety is the foundation of presence.
Stage fright is real, and it’s rooted in something deeper than just nerves. But it is not permanent, and it does not have to define your career.
If you’re finding that these tips aren’t quite enough, or if the fear feels bigger, older, or more stuck than a few reframes can reach that might be a sign that there’s some performance trauma worth addressing at a deeper level. That’s exactly what I work with in the Stage Confidence Reset Intensive.
