Will More Experience Make My Stage Fright Go Away?
Yes… and no.
When it comes to performance anxiety, experience alone won’t magically erase the problem.
Many of us grow up hearing that “with enough experience, your nerves will disappear.” But that’s not how it works.
Why Experience Alone Isn’t Enough ↓
Experience only helps in two scenarios:
You continue to have positive experiences that gradually build confidence.
You consciously remind your body and mind that it’s safe to feel nervous before a performance.
However, if neither of the above scenarios is occurring, and you continue to have bad experiences performing, you are just going to be AFFIRMING the fear. Psychologists call this fear conditioning: when you have repeated negative experiences, your brain learns to expect fear. Each shaky audition can actually reinforce the anxiety instead of reducing it.
On the flip side, avoidance isn’t the answer either. Research shows that avoiding the stage teaches your brain that performing must be dangerous; otherwise, why would you run from it? Avoidance itself becomes a signal that strengthens the fear.
A More Effective Approach ↓
Instead, if you struggle with performance anxiety, think of approaching it like gradual exposure therapy—a proven method for reducing anxiety. The idea isn’t to throw yourself into the deep end over and over again, but to combine experience with tools that rewire your brain’s response.
This might include:
Breathing or grounding techniques that calm your nervous system.
Reframing nerves or performance scenarios in a way that is encouraging
Practicing small, manageable steps that build confidence.
Each time you use tools like these, your brain gets evidence that performing is safe. That’s how fear weakens and confidence grows.
The Takeaway:
Experience matters, but it’s not the whole picture. Pairing stage time with mindset shifts and coping strategies transforms stage fright into an opportunity for growth.
✨ Want to know what might be holding you back from peak performance? Take my Mental Performance Blocker Quiz to find out!