The Performance Blog

There is a lot of people with a fear of public speaking (clinically called glossophobia), or general public speaking anxiety. According to one survey, a fear of public speaking affected over 40% of Americans. Many of those suffering with public speaking anxiety may be considering popular anxiety medications and dietary supplements designed to help with performance anxiety & stage fright. We look into the top supplement choices for public speaking anxiety, and compare those to some more traditional anxiety medications.

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The clinical term for a ‘Fear of Public Speaking’ is Glossophobia, and it is the second biggest fear of adult Americans, according to recent surveys. This fear of public speaking isn’t a problem at all for some people, but for others it can be a crippling phobia that significantly impacts their life and ability to perform & speak in front of an audience. In this article we look at what causes public speaking anxiety in the first place, why it effects some and not others, and then we cover fourteen different tips & tricks that can help you overcome your public speaking nerves & anxiety, and maybe give the best presentation or public speech that you’ve ever given.

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Dramamine, generic name Dimenhydrinate, is an over-the-counter antihistamine drug primarily used to treat motion sickness and nausea. Lately, it has become clear that the motion sickness drug can also provide relaxation benefits. This combination of helping with nausea as well as decreasing anxiety symptoms has proven to be a very useful pairing for many. We look at how dramamine works for anxiety, what the side-effects and dosages are, and a few natural alternatives.

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Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illnesses in the US, affecting more than 19% of the adult population; approximately 40 million people. The run-on effect of this is a lot of anxiety medications being prescribed to help people manage their anxiety symptoms, with Benzodiazepines being the current most popular type of medication prescribed. While benzodiazepines are effective, they also have a very high risk of dependence and addiction. This is one of the many reasons that is causing people to look for non-addictive alternatives to traditional anxiety medications, and here we look at how these anxiety drugs works and what the best alternatives are.

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Over 40% of American adults claim to have a fear of public speaking, according to surveys, and the only fear more common is snakes! Since a 1965 article published in the Lancet, performers have been using beta-blockers (heart medication) “off-script” to help deal with their stage fright and performance anxiety, and that includes public speakers. Considering that the link between beta blockers and public speaking goes so far back, we wanted to investigate why performers are using beta blockers to help with their performance anxiety issues, if they actually work and what the side-effects may be, as well as covering several alternatives to beta-blockers.

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Metoprolol (commonly sold under the brand name Lopressor) and Atenolol (commonly sold as Tenormin) are both selective Beta-1 blockers, designed to block the effects of epinephrine (adrenaline), and are typically prescribed to treat various cardiac-related heart conditions. However, beta blockers like Atenolol and Metoprolol are also used off-script to prevent anxiety symptoms. We look at how both Metoprolol and Atenolol work, what the side-effects are and then finally investigate which of the two beta blockers is most effective against performance anxiety symptoms.

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Clonidine, often sold under the commercial name Catapres, is commonly used off-script for anxiety by performers and people trying to overcome their stage fright and anxiety symptoms. In this article we look at how and why Clonidine works to help with anxiety & stage fright, as well as revealing the side-effects and diving into natural and equally effective alternatives.

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According to studies, over 40% of Americans say they have a fear of public speaking and the only fear more common was snakes! Fear of public speaking, or the medical term glossophobia, is extremely common in humans and has primal routes in our psychology. I recently had a battle with speech anxiety, and I wanted to understand it as best I could and, if possible, overcome it so I could be confident in social situations and during presentations despite my social anxiety. I share the journey in this article.

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Propranolol (Inderal) is commonly used by professional performers off-script to help with performance anxiety, stage fright & social anxiety symptoms. As the beta blocker Propranolol is so common among musicians, public speakers, and other performers, in this article we investigate if there are any Propranolol side effects to be aware of, how severe they are and alternatives available to those seeking help with their performance anxiety symptoms.

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One of the biggest effects of the pandemic on the workplace is the move to Work From Home (WFH) for many people who’s work allows for it. A side effect of this, or perhaps an enabler of it, is the movement of meetings and daily communication to online video conferencing platforms like Zoom, Microsoft Teams & Skype. For many of us, communicating through video conferencing tools is extremely nerve-wracking, perhaps even more so, than in-person meetings. We look at the phenomenon commonly called ‘zoom anxiety’, investigate why the problem exists and share several steps you can take to get rid of zoom anxiety before your next meeting or presentation.

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Performance Anxiety is an extremely common issue for singers, musicians, actors, public speakers and even (especially?) athletes. In fact, for anyone who wants to perform at a high level, fighting performance anxiety so that you can remain calm & focused is the key to what you do. We looked at how high level performers in various fields fight performance anxiety successfully so that they can perform at their best consistently. You won’t want to miss this one…

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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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Job hunting can be high-stakes. You want the job so that you can progress with your career and possibly improve your standing in life. All of the potential upside of finding a good job makes the stress, fear and anxiety that come with job interviews extremely potent. Here we answer the question ‘what is interview anxiety’ as well as showing several interview anxiety remedies that can be implemented quickly to give you the strongest chance of getting the job you want.

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