The Performance Blog

Stoicism is an ancient philosophy designed to increase wisdom, happiness, virtue and resilience to the adversity that the world often throws at us. A stoic concept, made popular by author and entrepreneur/investor Tim Ferris, is ‘Fear Setting’. Fear-Setting is where, instead of setting goals, you visualize & clearly define the worst possible outcome of an event you’re considering in detail. In this article, we look at how fear-setting can be used to define, and then completely conquer, your biggest fears and anxieties.

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Golf, at higher levels, is a mentally taxing sport. You need to balance mental focus and calm with infinite physical variables that can all make or break your game. This makes anxiety and mental blocks important to manage while improving your golf game; managing anxiety and controlling your mental state and staying calm may be the only thing preventing you from reaching the next level in your game. In this article we look at what causes golf anxiety and several remedies you can use to help with your golf anxiety so that you can level-up your game.

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In this article I share my personal story about overcoming my own fear of public speaking. I tried everything, from therapy (Cognitive-behavioral therapy, or CBT) to yoga to researching different, often extreme, techniques and practicing them in front of audiences like my local Toastmasters group. In doing so I also learned a lot about Glossophobia, which is ‘a fear of public speaking’, including learning what causes it, why it’s so common a fear amongst the general public and, most importantly, how to defeat glossophobia and overcome a fear of public speaking. Here, I share my own story as well as everything I learned. If you suffer from public speaking anxiety, you will not want to miss this!

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The beta-blocker Propranolol is commonly used off-script for anxiety & stage fright by professional performers of all sorts: from singers to CEOs, orchestra musicians and anyone who is experiencing severe anxiety in the run up to a large, high-stakes event. Here we look at how and why propranolol works to help with anxiety & stage fright, as well as analyzing the side-effects and diving into natural and equally effective alternatives. Keep reading if you are interested in using propranolol to help with your performance anxiety.

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If you’re facing anxiety and stress in the run up to an exam or test, you are not alone! Test anxiety is when you experience physical, emotional and/or mental symptoms in the lead up to an exam, and can have serious health implications, not to mention the likely effect on your academic abilities. In this article PerformZen looks at why we experience such extreme nerves and anxiety in the run up to exams & tests, and reveal 5 science-based techniques for getting past test anxiety and excelling in any exam.

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Many performers (from musicians, to public speakers, to athletes) use beta blockers off-script to help with their stage fright & performance anxiety symptoms. In this article we look at what performance anxiety is and what causes it, how beta blockers actually work to help with anxiety symptoms, what the positives & negatives of beta-blockers are and finally, we investigate alternatives to beta blockers for those trying to overcome performance anxiety without any negative side effects.

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Is it possible to defeat stage fright considering recent scientific discoveries? We believe so, and in this article we look at several ways individuals who need to perform, whether on stage or in a job interview, can overcome stage fright so that they can perform at their best despite all the pressure. We also look at several stage fright remedies available to you right now, from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to GABA & L-theanine supplements.

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