Why Do I Freeze Under Pressure? Understanding Performance Anxiety
Performance anxiety is a phobia. If you suffer from it you will be familiar with the symptoms that can range from feeling as if you have sandpaper in your mouth, to feeling as if time has slowed down as your heart races at twice it's usual BPM! Your hands are sweaty, your thoughts are confused and you may even feel as if you want to throw up. The anxiety can hold you back from career promotions or from enjoying the creative pursuit you love most. Many of those who suffer with performance anxiety can have high expectations of themselves and others, are high achievers and perhaps carry a strong inner critic.
Unfortunately the very thing you are afraid of can be triggered by the performance anxiety and you can find yourself freezing, going bright red and becoming flustered and confused, unable to think in an exam or concentrate, perhaps even having a panic attack. Performance anxiety can be deeply rooted and that freeze reaction can feel as if it's so reactive, you'll never get on top of it. Like any therapy, it's about getting to the root of the issue. I find all sorts of unexpected memories and feelings crop up from your unconscious - once we start working. Once we have treated your foundation through EMDR or hypnosis or parts therapy we can then build new neural pathways by hypnosis, building genuine confidence.
PERFORMANCE ANXIETY CAN TAKE ON MANY FORMS
Public speaking, be it to an auditorium, school speeches or simply at a work meeting
Stage performance (dance, music, acting etc)
Exam or test performance anxiety
Driving License test (some people have been known to sit it over a dozen times because of performance anxiety)
Anticipating how you are going to feel when the anxiety kicks in can be worse than the initial anxiety and you can find yourself palpitating just entering the room where the event previously took place. Some people take Beta- blockers when they know they have to perform, but many don't want to.
HYPNOSIS FOR PERFORMANCE ANXIETY
Hypnotherapy can help greatly with performance anxiety as it works with your unconscious where the core of your anxiety usually lives. It involves a similar treatment I use for anxiety or phobia. It's all about calming the nervous system, building your confidence and re-wiring those neural pathway through experiencing new positive states in the imagination while immersing in the very thing you are afraid of. We do this gently, enabling you to feel these new positive states and take them with you. It works!
We work through any fear that comes up and teach you how to control and respond to the fear.
Heal Performance Anxiety by Working with Your Inner critic & Building Confidence
Performance anxiety isn’t just about being nervous before a big event. For many people, it’s a deeply rooted emotional response—triggered by past experiences of criticism, humiliation, or being made to feel they were not good enough. These early wounds, often held by the inner child, can show up years later in adulthood as intense anxiety during public speaking, stage performances, or high-pressure situations.If your heart races, your hands sweat, and your thoughts become scattered when you're under pressure, you're likely experiencing performance anxiety—and it might be your inner child trying to protect you.
Many of us carry within us an inner child—the emotional part of ourselves shaped by early life experiences. If, as a child, you were:
Criticised in front of others
Shamed for expressing yourself
Laughed at when you made a mistake
Told you weren’t smart, talented, or “enough”…
then your inner child may still be carrying that pain.
When you step onto a stage, speak up in a meeting, or take a test, that part of you remembers those past experiences and sounds the alarm: “You’re not safe.”I have a protocol that works well for identifying and healing the inner child - it's a form of hypnotherapy. Performance anxiety is a relatively easy one to crack with hypnotherapy. If you need some help to give you the confidence you need to feel calm and at ease, contact me.
By Diana Joy
Anxiety specialist. Balmain, Sydney.
If you would like to work on presentation anxiety, please get in touch below.
"I used to sweat like crazy before I had to speak at work. It turns out it was because of this experience I had when I was eight. I had totally forgotten about it, but my unconscious remembered and being in the public eye terrified me. Diana is alike a magician - she just finds the issue and works on it. Thank you so much. I feel like this held me back and now I feel free.
James L - Banking
"Diana is very direct, very empathetic and very effective as a therapist. I highly recommend her especially for performance anxiety. She worked wonders for me."
Craig L
Call
I practice in Balmain Sydney.