– I was not in touch with myself, even with what I was supposed to convey. I couldn’t eat. I had a very bad stomach ache and was physically unwell. We meet artist Eline Thorp (29) at home in her flat in Oslo. It is at the end of January, and in just a few days she will stand on what many would call Norway’s biggest stage: Melodi Grand Prix. Eight years ago, that thought was unthinkable. Then the stage fright was so intense that it took up space in her body and turned her into someone she didn’t recognize. – Nervane took over. The mode suddenly became “getting through”, instead of having fun on stage, and being present in the moment with the audience. – It’s never good. One should never go out on stage with that feeling. Because I think the audience also notices that, says Hamarøyingen. Photo: Oda Elise Svelstad / news Common for stage artists Eline Thorp is not the only artist who struggles with stage fright. Anna of The North has been open about her stage habits. The same has the British world star Adele, who often throws up before going on stage. The whole of Norway’s Rolv Wesenlund also had such serious performance anxiety that he was admitted to hospital before the theater performance. Adele has suffered a lot of stage fright, and is said to have undergone hypnosis to calm her nerves. In a biography of Rolv Wesenlund, one of Norway’s foremost comedians, it emerges that the thought of “the stage” took away all sleep and appetite from him. Anna of The North has been honest that she has performance anxiety, and that it has been difficult to hold concerts. Hugh Grant has expressed several times that he wants to quit acting because he has a problem with panic attacks when the camera is rolling. At the peak of her career, Barbra Streisand had stage fright. For 27 years she pretended to play at large public gatherings. Anxiety to perform According to psychologist Tommy Sotkajærvi, stage fright is not a diagnosis, although it can appear as a subcategory of social anxiety or another anxiety disorder. – Stage fright is a form of performance anxiety. Fear of performing a task, he explains. Sotkajærvi further points out that performance anxiety can quickly become a self-fulfilling prophecy. You become afraid that you will not perform, which leads to you getting an anxiety activation straight ahead. Which in turn will affect the performance. Psychologist Tommy Sotkajærvi advises you to accept the anxiety and become friends with it. Photo: GEIR SYVERSEN / GEIR SYVERSEN – Anxiety is our fear system that prepares us for something scary that can happen. Then the body becomes stress-activated, and your voice may begin to tremble, your mouth may become dry, you may feel dizzy or it may become more difficult to maintain good posture, he explains. This was also the case for Eline Thorp. Rockefeller and Hovefestivalen In 2011, the breakthrough came for the talented musician from the north. Eline was Untouched for the Week. She was asked to be a warm-up artist for Kråkesølv, her biggest role model at the time, at Rockefeller in Oslo. There were Bylarm, Hovefestivalen and Slottsfjellfestivalen during the summer. At the time, she was only 17 years old, and was basically not allowed into the places she played. – It was a very nice, but strange time. I traveled around with my best friend, and we had a lot of fun, she says. But even then she felt an uneasiness. An uneasiness that would grow bigger and bigger. When she released her debut album in 2014, the excitement was at breaking point. Eline Thorp during a concert in 2014. Photo: Lela Nivanov / news Nightmares and catastrophic thoughts – I felt a sense of unease about being a performing artist. – It felt like more and more was at stake. Now there were several people involved. Then I wanted to perform at the highest level, so that people realized that it was worth betting on me, she adds. With each concert she put more and more pressure on herself. – Even with the fact that I had a lot of nightmares and thoughts of disaster on the last tour I had in autumn 2014, she says. “Fake it til you make it” For Eline, it got worse and worse. She also found it difficult to talk about it out loud. – It was probably because of guilt and shame that I didn’t talk about it to anyone. – I think I thought “fake it till you make it” until we reach the point where we can breathe. But the point did not come, and after the tour in 2014, Eline decided to take a six-month break. Eline Thorp noticed that the stress surrounding the concerts took more and more of her body in 2014. Photo: June Hammer Iversen Eight-year break During this time, Eline realized how much the stage fright and stress had cost. – It was very good to let go of the restlessness and anxiety surrounding the game. Then I noticed how much it had worn me out. Suddenly that half year turned into eight years. Hamarøyingen started studying, and now has a master’s in society and religion. In addition, she has taken pedagogy, and is therefore also a qualified teacher. But now she has decided to return to the stage in this year’s Melodi Grand Prix. Didn’t want to give up Because after she stopped performing eight years ago, many people wondered if she had given up music. If she had given up. – Even if things are said with the best of intentions and with love, those questions have been very difficult to accept. Because I have felt inside that I am not finished, says Eline. In order to return to the scene, she has challenged herself in many different ways. Among other things, she has attended improvisation courses to expose herself to her fear. – It is important to learn to feel the ugly, without pushing it away, and in that way get out of it, she says. Photo: Kjetil Solhøi / news Psychologist Sotkajærvi is also positive about this: – Inviting the anxiety in, and experiencing that it is okay despite the fact that it is there, is important to being able to master it. Sometimes the stage fright can change so that it becomes something positive. – Getting scared or stressed is also a signal from your body that you are about to carry out a task that means something to you. If you become friends with fear, it can become a strength, something you draw energy from and drive from. Something you can experience as a kick, he says. Find safe anchor points Eline Thorp has advice for you who are struggling with the same: – That speech, that performance, that song is such a small part of life if you are to see it in the larger context. Find the safe holding points. Find your ritual and mantra before you go for it, she encourages. For Eline, it has been that “I can do this”. If things go a little wrong, it has nothing to say for her as an artist or for who she is as a person. She went through many rounds with herself before she agreed to Melodi Grand Prix, and the 29-year-old thinks it will come as a surprise that she is in Norway’s biggest music competition. – But for me it is a very right step to take. Those who work with it are also aware that it causes nerves in every artist, and it’s perfectly fine if I make a fool of myself, or forget the lyrics. Eline Thorp has worked with herself to return to the scene. Photo: Kjetil Solhøi / news The psychologist’s advice to those with stage fright Practice what you are going to do! Practice in front of the mirror, and in front of others. Practice to the point. If you’re going to perform a song, sing it in the shower, sing it to yourself when you’re out and about and in front of the people around you. Do exercises that invite openness to the moment. Meditate or practice belly breathing. Take deep breaths, and feel how the body responds. When you are going to perform something and you feel anxious: Welcome it (you don’t need to like it to welcome it), and let it be. If you treat the anxiety as a threat, it will become more troublesome, because then you get anxiety about the anxiety. The stress activation due to high anxiety or fear can be unfavorable when you have to perform on a stage, at the same time we need some stress to mobilize, get drive and focus. If you get negative or frightening thoughts – notice them. Maybe your brain is judging you and your ability to perform. Maybe it tells you that a disaster is going to happen. Look at them as your brain’s solutions to anxiety. Your brain may be right, or it may be wrong. But the important question is: “Is this a useful thought. Will this help me implement”? A thought may be true, but not necessarily useful. If it is not useful for implementation, thank your brain for the suggestion and refocus on the task. Ask yourself what is meaningful about what you are going to do, and which is not about the outcome of the performance. For example: What do you like about singing? Is it to spread joy to others? Is it something demanding to implement? What does that mean to you? See if you can come up with something that you are grateful for in the situation you are in. Is there, for example, something that has supported you up to this point? Is there someone that you appreciated that you wish you could dedicate the moment to? Find someone you can fix your eyes on when you’re on stage. Find a friendly face, or someone you know. Keep up the momentum. If you make a mistake, or notice that your voice is shaky, don’t stop. Dedicate yourself to the next note, the next stanza, until you’re through. Source: Psychological specialist Tommy Sotkajærvi
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Stage fright kept the talent away from the stage for eight years – news Culture and entertainment
