Source Reflections:

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A.  Six Golden Rules for Conquering Performance Anxiety:

A common theme you may begin to see throughout my responses is that I typically don't have a problem public speaking, but anything having to do with performing (music, acting, etc.) I have a huge problem with. I just don't like it and can't get out of my head, and I don't know why. That being said, while I do like these golden rules to conquer performance anxiety, I also think following them is a lot easier said than done, and I'm curious to see if I'll improve by using them.

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B.  Stage Fright-Overcoming Music Performance Anxiety:

I thought this source was very similar to the first one as it offered different ideas to essentially the same problem. I do think it is a little more helpful though because it is helping you mentally prepare before you even perform. However, some of these tips still may be easier said than done. 

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C.  Anxiety Coach:

I thought this source was really cool because besides offering ideas to help performance anxiety, it talked about four different types of ways people experience stage fright. It also talks about how intended solutions can backfire, and what not to do. I think this source is much more relatable and realistic than the others, and shows that it's not always a simple fix.

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D.  Teaching Students about Performance Anxiety :

One thing i found really interesting about this source is the scratch pad concept. I thought this was an interesting idea because I know when I write everything that I am stressed about down, being able to look at it written out makes me feel better, and more motivated to check it off. However, if I were to write everything down like in the example, I think it looking so unorganized would stress me out, and overwhelm me more. 

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E. The Psychological Skills of Top Performers:

I thought this was a cool opportunity to really focus on getting into a good place mentally before/during a performance. I personally don't think that my performance anxiety is so bad that I would participate in a program like this, but it could definitely help a lot of different people. It was interesting to read about the 7 different skills one would work on, and it sounded like that combination of skills could really work.

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F.  The Science of Stage Fright:

I really liked this source because it was a video, and it talked about why we have stage fright, instead of just how to fix it. I think that is really important, because we can't really change our instincts. I also like how it talked about how stagefright physiologically works/ why we react the way we do while on stage. Understanding the way we react makes the situation a little less... daunting, in my opinion.

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G.  Public Speaking:

I wasn't a huge fan of this video because I thought it took a while to get to the point it was trying to make, which basically was to practice and become confident it what you are saying (or in this case performind). Though this is good advice, I think this video could've been half as long, but it's not the end of the world because it is only about two minutes.

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H.  Diaphragmatic Breathing:

I liked this video a lot because correct breathing is so important, yet so often overlooked. I was happy to see that (after watching the example) I think I typically breathe with my diaphragm more than my chest. Not only is this healthier, but it can definitely be used to calm down prior to and while performing.