{"id":452,"date":"2011-02-20T16:24:14","date_gmt":"2011-02-20T16:24:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mmcgrath.co.uk\/?p=452"},"modified":"2014-06-24T18:20:31","modified_gmt":"2014-06-24T17:20:31","slug":"touched-by-the-hand-of-fear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.mmcgrath.co.uk\/?p=452","title":{"rendered":"TOUCHED BY THE HAND OF FEAR"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>His acting career had barely begun when it was cut short by stage fright, a terror so great that he never even made it in front of the audience. But fear doesn’t have to rule your life. Martin McGrath<\/strong> looks at what can you do to fight back and how you can get help.<\/h3>\n

This young thespian\u2019s career ended early. Aged about 12, the school play required him simply to walk on to the stage, announce that the king was coming, bow and stand at the back of the stage wrapped in a scratchy woollen blanket for five minutes.<\/p>\n

How hard could that be?Rehearsals had been fine. \u201cHere comes the king!\u201d he\u2019d bellowed to the empty gym hall and grinned.<\/p>\n

Then came the night itself.<\/p>\n

Was it the lights? Was it the strange burbling and rustling sounds coming from the audience as they settled into their seats? Was it the fear of making a mistake?<\/p>\n

Whatever it was, come his cue the young thespian was huddled in the toilets determined that neither man nor beast would drag him onto the stage.<\/p>\n

The teacher had seen it all before. \u201cHere comes the king!\u201d came the suspiciously older voice from off stage and the show went on.<\/p>\n

Ever since falling at that first performing hurdle I\u2019ve often found myself wondering about stage fright. As I\u2019ve got older I\u2019ve gone on to speak to large audiences about all sorts of topics on a reasonably regular basis and actually enjoyed myself. I\u2019ve been on television and radio and not panicked. But the idea of dressing up and reciting lines or playing a part on stage still makes my palms sweat even thinking about it.<\/p>\n

Writing for the British Association for Performing Arts Medicine (BAPAM), Dr Sanchita Farruque offers some reassuring insight into stage fright: \u201cIt occurs especially, but not only, when performing for the first time though even well-established performers can suffer.\u201d<\/p>\n

At least I\u2019m not alone!<\/p>\n

Some level of excitement is necessary, the doctor reckons, to help us deliver a good performance but it is when that excitement tips over into stress and the stress becomes anxiety, that stage fright begins to manifest some of its many symptoms \u2013 sweating, a dry mouth, a racing heartbeat, heavy breathing, dizziness, a sickness in the stomach and a constant need for the toilet.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are a few ways of trying to reduce stage fright, but it may never completely go away,\u201d Doctor Farruque writes. \u201cSome people would say that a performer needs a certain amount of \u2018nerves\u2019 to perform well. What this means is that, as long as the energy feels more like excitement than dread, then it\u2019s fine to have a little bit of anticipation. However, because this can be very hard to judge, it\u2019s not always possible to control the excitement and stop yourself feeling afraid.\u201dSo what steps can you take to help you cope when stage fright threatens to ruin your performance? In extreme cases there are drugs that can help \u2013 beta blockers can slow the heart and help calm the nerves, or tranquillisers \u2013 but these are serious drugs with serious side-effects, are available only on prescription and should be used only as a last resort. And while the drugs may ameliorate the symptoms in the short term, they can\u2019t solve the problem.<\/p>\n

There are other, non drug-based ways of tackling stage fright that you can try first.<\/p>\n

One that immediately appeals is eating foods that release the \u201chappy hormone\u201d serotonin \u2013 bananas or dark chocolate \u2013 while keeping well hydrated with water or non-alcoholic drinks. Sadly chocolate also contains caffeine, so too much could send your nerves racing again. Moderation, as it so often proves to be, is the key.<\/p>\n

Other treatments recommended by Doctor Farruque sound less fun, but may well be more practical.<\/p>\n