How to address the fear of making mistakes

As someone who is learning to play the piano, I attend a monthly adult music performance class where I and the other students play our instruments and/or sing in front of an audience. A teacher provides us with helpful feedback.

At the most recent class, one of the students expressed fear of making a mistake each time he performed a song with his guitar. He said that the fear was so strong that he could not help but think about the part of the song where his mistake occurs. In turn, he said that this fear made it more likely that he would make the mistake. In effect, the mistake occurred because of a self-fulfilling prophecy.

After the teacher had offered her advice, she invited me to contribute to the discussion from a psychological perspective. Following the class, I thought that the ideas we discussed would make for a good blog article.

In the following sections, I will discuss psychological strategies to deal with a fear of making mistakes, in music, sports, work, school and other activities.

A game plan for addressing fears: Exposure combined with coping

A game plan for addressing fears of any kind involves two components: (1) regular exposure to the feared situation; and (2) applying coping strategies during the exposures.

Exposure involves facing the feared situation repeatedly. Exposure helps to address fears in two important ways. The first is that greater exposure helps you get used to the challenging emotions you experience. The more you expose yourself to these emotions, the less intense they become through a process called habituation or desensitization.

The second way exposure helps you address fears is by increasing your confidence that you can cope with the feared situation. Repeated exposure lets you become proficient at coping.

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.

Coping strategies to use during exposure

Exposure to address fears is most effective if it is combined with coping strategies. Using such strategies will make it easier to ‘hang in there’ while dealing with fear and other emotions.

Coping strategies you can use during exposure are of two types—problem-focused and self-focused. Problem-focused strategies entail having a plan to deal with the situation effectively. For example, when I fear making a mistake during a piano performance, I plan how I can rebound from the mistake and continue the performance.

Self-focused strategies help you manage your emotions so it is easier to implement problem-focused strategies. For example, taking a relaxed breath to calm my body and using positive self-talk to calm my mind would make it easier for me to rebound from a mistake in a piano performance.

Practice exposure for the best results

The more you practice exposing yourself to the feared situation while using coping skills, the greater progress you will make. For example, I practice exposing myself to piano-playing mistakes and coping with them in performances in front of audiences.

Exposure practice also involves rehearsing strategies to cope with the feared situation. This can be done through simulations and mental rehearsal. In simulations, I practice exposing myself to piano-playing mistakes and coping with them in my daily practice sessions as well as at weekly lessons with my teacher.

Mental rehearsal entails imagining the feared situation and coping with it. For example, I imagine making mistakes and coping with them. This type of exposure has the advantage of efficiency. That is, you can repeat the exposure many times no matter where you are. If you imagine vividly, you can create emotions associated with the feared situation to the point that it feels like you are in it.

You may find it beneficial to work with a psychologist when using exposure to address your fear of mistakes and other situations.

May you use exposure combined with coping to address your fear of mistakes,

-Dr. Pat

The post How to address the fear of making mistakes appeared first on Dr. Patrick Keelan, Calgary Psychologist.