Reduce Performance Anxiety

How to Reduce Music Performance Anxiety Through Breathing

Did you know performance anxiety and excitement stem from the same part of the brain? Both activate the Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS)—our “fight or flight” response—causing symptoms like rapid heart rate, muscle tension, cold hands, shallow breathing, and nervous energy.

While these responses can energize us, they can also derail our performance if left unmanaged.

To regain control, we must shift to the Parasympathetic Nervous System (PSNS), which brings calm and focus. The most effective way to switch systems? Breathing.

Try this diaphragmatic breathing technique:

1. Lie down in a relaxed position
2. Take a cleansing breath
3. Inhale through the nose: let the belly rise, then the ribs, then the chest
4. Exhale through the nose: deflate chest, ribs, and belly in order
5. Gradually slow the breath, making it deeper and longer
6. Repeat 10 times

Practicing this once daily and before performances can help transform anxiety into calm anticipation and better control on stage.