For many musicians, creatives and performers, the stage feels like home. It’s a place of connection, catharsis, and recognition. But what happens when your sense of self-worth becomes fused with how well you perform, how loud the applause is, how many people show up, or how much praise you receive?

It’s not always obvious. It can feel like drive, ambition, a standard. But beneath that can live a more fragile truth: if you’re only as good as your last performance, your worth starts to feel conditional.

That familiar feeling many of us face, no matter our skill level. The stress of wanting to deliver a flawless performance can trigger feelings of nervousness, self-doubt, and even physical reactions like shaking or feeling sick. Often we can consciously and logically know we have the skills, or practice level to go out there and play perfectly, but unconsciously, something happens deep in our psyche that plays havoc with our physical self.

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