Anxiety Reduction Tips for Pre-Performance

Here are a few pre-performance tips that I use before high-pressure moments. The first is a quick grounding ritual: placing

both feet on the floor, breathing slowly, and thinking about what I'm about to do. The second one is to imagine myself doing the thing I'm about to do, with confidence and a good outcome. The third would be to stretch my back and release any tension in my back, arms, and legs. Each of these has a different appeal to me, grounding because it helps me stop the pre-jitters before they start. Visualizing gives me a preview of the process and helps me see a successful outcome, so I feel less nervous. Physical stretching prepares my body and helps me reset, so I'm not carrying any stiffness or anxiety before I go about tasks like public speaking. All of these will help me with my presentation, and they feel like a complete reset that addresses both physical and mental roadblocks that hold me back when public speaking. I believe these will help me more than others because they're so intentional, making me pause when I tend to get antsy and skip over things when I'm nervous. I can picture how I’ll apply it before my following speech: I’ll stand in front of my audience, plant my feet, inhale for four seconds, exhale for six, and silently say to myself, “You’re ready.” Then I’ll visualize my first thirty seconds, my tone, my posture, the audience paying attention, and really enjoying what I'm saying. By the time I begin, my body will feel steadier, and my mind will be ready to focus on connection rather than fear.