Performance anxiety is abundant in today’s society. With students engaging in more sports and activities, the chance of developing performance anxiety is a lot higher than it used to be. Individuals are forced to perform in front of people whether they are at a competition, game, giving a presentation, or just talking in front of the class. The slightest bit of performance anxiety may cause a great performance, to turn into a disaster in seconds. Therefore, visualization is of great value because it reduces the performance anxiety individuals will experience.
Students who perform music for others are especially at risk for performance anxiety. Unfortunately, the student’s anxiety typically worsens because the support that is mentally needed is not given to them by their coaches, teachers, or instructors. That is why it is important that students and athletes learn how to use the visualization technique. According to Riley, “performance anxiety has been associated with poorer performance quality, altered career opportunities, overuse syndrome, and a negative impact on general well-being”.
Performance anxiety occurs in many different situations, however the result is almost identical no matter what the situation is. It occurs when an individual becomes overly conscious about something that they must do in a high stake or high-pressure situation. When they become overly conscious, they are so focused on what they need the result to be, that they actually forget the proper mechanics that they have learned. The end result is that the individual performs at a much lower level than they are actually capable of, or would have if they were not plagued by the anxiety.
To help with conquering performance anxiety, is a technique called visualization. Visualization is when an individual is relaxing and picturing in their mind either a place, person, or a result that they want to occur from a sport, performance, or situation. This is fully based around the idea of being able to use imagination. For this technique, the individuals will either be laying down, sitting or standing at a place of their choice. Once they are settled and relaxed, they will close their eyes and start to picture in their head what they want. According to Robinson, at this point they will “incorporate as many sensory details as possible, using at least three” of their senses to mentally bring themselves to a point where they actually feel like what they are seeing in their head is real. By using this technique, individuals can calm their minds and clear their head, which can be of great help in high-pressure situations.
Visualization helps reduce performance anxiety because it induces a relaxation state and helps improve the confidence of the individual while doing it. The way this works is, “by imagining himself or herself performing a task before actually doing it, the student increases the chance that it will be well executed. This is provided, of course, that the student imagines executing the skill successfully”. If the individual can successfully visualize themselves doing it correctly, then their body is actually more prepared to execute whatever it may be that the individual has to do. If the student or individual knows that they are more prepared, they will not have to worry as much about performing, because they have already done it successfully and seen themselves do it successfully in their mind. They are in a way preparing their bodies as well while doing the visualization even though it is mental and not physical.
