Why Am I So Nervous When I Perform?

Every week, we answer a question from our community.

This week’s question is simple — and incredibly human:

“When I act, I feel extremely nervous.”

Before anything else, let’s undo the first lie.

There is nothing wrong with you.

If you’re an actor, artist, athlete, or anyone who expresses themselves in front of others, nervousness isn’t a flaw — it’s conditioning revealing itself.

When something matters, the body contracts.

The breath tightens.

The throat closes.

The instinct goes quiet.

Not because you’re doing it wrong —

but because you were trained, from the moment you were born, to suppress your truth.

We were taught to behave, perform, please, and survive.

So when it’s time to express something real, the nervous system panics.

And here’s the paradox:

Your art requires the very thing you were trained to abandon —

instinct, freedom, and truth.

That’s where the “nerves” come from.

This video isn’t about fixing nerves, learning techniques, or building confidence.

It’s about undoing conditioning and remembering what it feels like to be alive in your body again.

Mess is the muse.

Fear is the doorway.

Freedom lives underneath the wobble.

Watch the video below and let your body recognize what it already knows.

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If this feels like home — welcome home.