Even Adele still gets floored by nerves...
A psychologist offers LISA SALMON five tips on how to get the better of the jitters yourself
It’s human nature to get nervous when you’re in a pressure situation
She’s played to huge crowds at Glastonbury and performed at numerous sell-out concerts around the world but – just like the rest of us – pop megastar Adele still gets nervous every now and again.
The singer had to restart her hit single Easy On Me after nerves got the better of her as she recorded the ITV special An Audience With Adele, in front of celebrity guests at the London Palladium.
It’s nice to know no matter who you are, those butterflies in your stomach can still be overwhelming and stop you in your tracks.
“It’s human nature to get nervous when you’re in a pressure situation,” says social psychologist Sandra Wheatley (potentpsychology.com).
“All that adrenaline, which is what makes you feel all gurgly in your tummy, is actually a good thing, because it makes the blood flow to all your muscles – which includes your lungs, your heart, your vocal chords – and it makes everything ready to respond.
“When you feel those butterflies, it’s to make you speak more loudly, your eyes shine brighter, your smile wider – you’re more receptive to success. That’s the thing with adrenaline, it is the fight or flight hormone, but it’s also something you need because it preps you to succeed.”
Although nerves may help us perform better, it’s still reassuring to know how to deal with them.
Here are Sandra’s expert tips…
1. Take a deep breath
The adrenaline coursing through your veins in a pressure situation can increase your heart rate and helps pump your lungs, so to calm yourself down it can help to take deep breaths and breathe through it, explains Sandra.
“To control your breathing, take longer, slower, deeper breaths, and the fact you’re able to control your breathing will help you realise that actually, you are in control.”
2. Try visualisation
“One thing that’s been shown to help enormously in situations where you anticipate you might feel nervous, is spending a little time beforehand imagining it; almost dreaming it,” explains Sandra.
“Live through it and create that image inside your head, almost like a video of success, of everything going well and being fine.
“If you visualise success, you’re much more likely to succeed.”
3. Remember past successes
Sandra says: “Focusing on the successful things you’ve done and remembering what you’ve done before that went well, all those things will help you repeat that success.”
4. Throw yourself a few curveballs
Maybe give a bit of thought to little things that might not go as well as you hope, to prepare yourself.
Sandra says: “You may not get a laugh when you think you’re going to get a laugh, will that really be so bad? Just give yourself a few tools to make yourself feel better.”
5. Tune in to positive vibes
“Everybody wants you to succeed, remember that,” she says.
“Everybody’s there to hear or watch you, and that’s not a pressure thing, it’s a good thing. The fact people admire you for getting up to speak or perform or whatever is something to remember.
”People wish you well – whether it’s a team meeting, standing up in school or at a conference, taking part in amateur dramatics, sprinting at your local athletics club – whatever it is, the people who are there are urging you to succeed, and it’s really, really important for you to harness that and keep it in your mind.”