Stage Fright

Before most of my shows I spend about an hour to an hour and a half doing my own make-up and getting dressed.  Sometimes the process gets a little rushed when I spend too much time chatting with my daughter and other cast mates and I find myself a bit flustered as I race to get my microphone and take my place backstage.  

I don’t care how many times I’ve done a show my body has the same response in the moments prior to my cue.  My heart pounds.  Pounds so loud and hard I can almost hear it and I swear it shakes my necklace.  My palms sweat causing me to dab them along the sides of my clothes which then leads me to adjust my clothes one last time, oh…and smooth my hair.  That’s usually when I realize the height of my nerves and I immediately become mindful to center myself.  

This is where I breathe.  In these seconds the world becomes silent, and all I can hear is the steady pounding of my heart.  So I take a deep breath in, and I listen and focus only on the sound of the exhale.  I do this about three times, and then I’m ready to go.