Not Feeling “Show-Ready?”–Here’s what to do
After more than a year off from performing, it feels like we have suddenly been thrust right back into the thick of things, with little to no preparation.
This is leading to a collective feeling of overwhelm, exhaustion, performance anxiety, and burnout.
But what does it really mean to be show-ready?
What it means to be show-ready
Show-readiness has to do with our ability to sustain sufficient energy levels, stamina, and endurance, in order to get through each performance and rehearsal week without feeling depleted. It also has to do with the amount of time it takes us to recover–the more efficiently we can recover from one performance to the next, the better. This allows us to perform at our highest level safely, and without serious injuries. We also want to be sure that we have the technical skills necessary to perform at our best in front of an audience. This not only takes consistent practice in our craft, but unwavering confidence in our ability to perform under pressure.
This sounds like a lot, and I know it feels overwhelming, especially having shows open with minimal time to practice or prepare for the sudden increase in workload.
In the next few paragraphs, I will outline the steps you need to help you go from feeling overwhelmed, to show-ready.
Enhance energy, stamina and endurance with foods that boost nitric oxide levels
Nitric oxide is a vital molecule produced in our bodies, that is especially important for enhancing performance.
This is because It helps blood vessels dilate to allow for proper blood flow, which helps to improve our energy levels and stamina, lower our blood pressure, and enhance our brain function.
There are certain foods that are high in nitrates and can easily be converted to nitric oxide in your body, and there are other foods that preserve nitric oxide and make it more bioavailable.
By prioritising some of these foods in your diet, you will find yourself feeling more energetic and less depleted at the end of a performance or rehearsal week:
Beets & beetroot juice
Dark chocolate
Leafy green vegetables
Garlic
Citrus fruits
Nuts and seeds
Pomegranate
Garlic
Meat
Learn how to recover faster
It’s no secret that good recovery starts with what we put inside our bodies. Then we can enhance that by adding certain tools and lifestyle habits to our routine that will help our muscles to repair.
Below are a few of my favourite foods and tools to help you recover faster:
Antioxidant-rich foods
Antioxidants are often overlooked in recovery but are super important. This is because they defend your cells from damage against free radicals and inflammation, and are therefore vital in speeding up the process of recovery.
Berries, leafy greens, dark chocolate and beans are all rich sources of antioxidants.
Drink coconut water
Adequate hydration is important for recovery, but the reason i singled out this refreshing beverage is because it is packed with electrolytes. Drinking coconut water during and after training will help you replenish some of the electrolytes you lose when performing and rehearsing, helping you to recover faster.
Try contrast showers
This simple post-performance technique involves switching between hot and cold water in the shower and can drastically improve your performance. The hot water dilutes your blood vessels and improves blood circulation, while the cold water constricts blood vessels and reduces blood flow. This creates a pump that flushes your body of lactic acid and toxins that build up during strenuous activity. This practice is best done post-performance or rehearsal.
Start with a 2-3 minute warm/hot shower
Switch the tap to cold water and stay for 1 minute
Switch the tap to warm water and stay for 1 minute
Repeat this process 3-5 times and make sure to end on cold water for optimal recovery.
Try magnesium spray
Magnesium helps your muscles relax after intense activity. It can improve strength, performance, and recovery, and reduce muscle cramps after performances and rehearsals. You can purchase magnesium oil spray from health stores like Holland and Barrett. To get the most out of your magnesium, spray it evenly all over your body directly after a contrast shower or bath and massage it into your skin.
For a complete guide of foods, tools and lifestyle hacks to help you recover faster, get my complete recovery guide for performers here:
Overcome self-doubt and build confidence
Here’s the thing.
I know that it is scary to get back on stage and perform for thousands of people after being away for over a year. It’s hard feeling like you no longer have as much time to see family and friends, let alone time for yourself. It is a complete shock for many performers to suddenly be back in an industry that is trying to carry on as if the past 2 years never happened.
Here are a few tips to help you navigate the self-doubt that is coming up and help you build your confidence back:
Give yourself grace
First of all, I want you to give yourself some grace. These past 2 years have been tough, to say the least. Some of us have lost family and friends, faced job and financial insecurity, struggled with isolation and mental health, and a myriad of other things.
I want you to journal about all the challenges you have overcome in the past 2 years, to acknowledge how far you’ve come.
Use evidence-based thinking to confront your thoughts with compassion and curiosity
When you experience anxious thoughts that cause you to question your gifts, abilities, and worth, I want you to ask yourself these 2 simple questions:
Is it true?
How do I know it’s true?
Once you have done this, find evidence for the answer that you came up with–as many specific examples as you can think of! This will help you see that the thoughts that were making you anxious were not based in any evidence whatsoever.
It may be helpful to keep a success list with you at all times. This is a list of all your past successes and it can be kept on a piece of paper, notebook, or google doc. Whenever you feel self-doubt, read this list to remind yourself of the reality that you have achieved success before and you can do it again. Be sure to add to this list as often as you can.
Take one small step outside of your comfort zone
Here’s the funny thing about confidence.
It doesn’t just show up out of nowhere, and no one is born with it.
It is not a personality trait as some like to make it out to be. It is a skill, which means it takes practice. And practice makes permanent.
Confidence is the result of taking action. The more action we take outside our comfort zone, the more confident we become in our ability to perform under pressure. So when it comes to getting back on stage and feeling “show-ready,” I want you to think of doing 1 small thing a week that will get you out of your comfort zone and give you a bit more confidence than you had before.
That will look different for everyone, but I want you to think about what that looks like for you. Does it look like taking a dance class that is outside of your usual style? Learning a song that you feel is out of your range? Learning a monologue you think is a bit challenging for you?
Whatever it is, take that step. Then watch your confidence grow.
One last thing
All of these are just tips and suggestions. Ultimately, feeling “show-ready” will look and feel different for everyone. It might be helpful to set an intention for what this means for you, and set a few actionable steps for yourself to start moving towards this.
If you want to learn how to boost your energy and stamina, overcome self-doubt and limiting beliefs, and start building confidence so you can feel show-ready and start booking the roles of your dreams, I have 5 more spots left for my group program, Booked, Blessed, No Stress.
Click here for more information on how to sign up.
