Created this because I was going to reply in Paul's @paulmcevoy75 thread but don't want to derail the thread...

Performance anxiety. It's not a stage fright. At least I don't see it that way. Because I know what stage fright feels like, I went through that when I started playing gigs as a teenager in rock bands. That can be debilitating. What I'm talking about as a performance anxiety is a lot more subtle. To the point that for a long time I wasn't even aware that I was dealing with it. And I can notice it on other people as well and they don't see it as such either or don't think that's what it is. It's exactly as Paul described it, fingers feel like noodles and head space feels weird. It's also it when you think or say "how come I can play this no problem at home but not so during the performance?".

To start with, even changing the environment can derail the performance. From familiar practice space where you're not paying attention to your surroundings, you go to a gig where everything is new. I have a tendency to look all over and notice things and details in a new environment (what I believe is undiagnosed adhd) and you can guess what that does to my playing if I'm not conscious about it and making sure I stay with my task and ignore the rest.

Most people here know that I follow Noa Kageyama and he mostly focuses on this issue exactly, the performance phycology. And he's interviewed top pros about it and nobody is completely imune to it every time they perform. I picked up a lot of stuff below from him but others as well.

Here, I'll share a list of things I put together to remind myself before the gig and I also look at it occasionally before I practice at home.

Reset chord: something that you like hearing between the songs to get you grounded and back to square one. Something that will reconnect you with your instrument. For me it's the fat C9.

Belly breathing: or other breathing techniques, like square breathing etc. But during the gig, simply being aware to breathe all the way down to my belly, deep and slow, is the easiest.

Squeeze/release: like a small squishy ball or similar, slowly squeeze and release. Noa shared this tip that was shown beneficial in studies.

Serve the music, not the ego: if we're really honest about it, most of this stuff happens because we get concerned about what will others think of us. It's about the music, we're just a conduit. Serve the music.

If I play "wrong", do it with confidence: meaning don't let the groove get derailed. Groove is much more important than the notes.

Mistakes are awesome: basically so what? And who gives a f***? I believe it's from this place that Miles Davis was coming from when he said there are no wrong notes. Coming into the performance with this attitude can go a long way to keep you in the right head space.

Straighten up and be big: it came from a classical musician who was super nervous prior the important performance. His young child was in the audience and told him afterwards: dad, you looked so small when you walked out on stage (lol). So the guy said: now every time I'm nervous I make sure I straighten up and be big.

Focus on the sound you want to hear, not the technique: instead of thinking how are you going to play something, think about what it sounds like. In general focusing on anything other than the exact task you're about to perform will be beneficial. A champion golfer focuses on his toe when putting. Racer skiers always look several gates ahead instead of the one they need to navigate the next.

Play basic: if I feel during the gig that I'm not in the right head space, I try to remind myself to go back to very basic, 1/4 notes, lots of space, very basic playing. Stephane Wrembel said this as something to do when you feel you're running out of ideas to play. I applied it slightly differently.

State your goal prior to the gig: tell yourself what exactly you'll do there and be specific. It came from a story I heard about samurai and philosopher who lived to be old and died a natural death and successfully defeated many opponents.

Positive self-talk: Noa shared a tip where the study showed benefits of nodding in agreement when giving yourself a positive self-talk.

Feel the music in half tempo: during the up tempo songs, ignore the 1/4 note groove, hear is as half note or even a whole note. This creates a sense of space mentally vs everything happening at a speeding train momentum.

Relax the scrotum: it sounds funny but it's very beneficial (just make sure you did your#1 and #2 before), it will automatically cause many other muscles to relax, majority of body really.

Practice under pressure: visualize the performance situation and space. Record often, just knowing that red button is active will increase the pressure. All that in turn will build immunity to performance situations. Conversely, visualize your practice space when performing.

Reward/consequence: I don't do much of this except if I'm playing something I should be familiar with, if I make a mistake I'll go back to the beginning instead of just fixing the mistake and moving on. Then I'll make sure I can play the whole thing. If I'm working on a chord melody or something more complex and challenging for me, I'll make sure that I can play it 4 times in a row without making a mistake. If I make it all the way I'll say out loud something like: heck yeah, that's awesome! A pat on the shoulder of some sort.

Pretend if it's the easiest thing in the world: Eduardo Costa, one of the best classical guitarists I have ever seen. And he makes everything look effortless and easy. His tip is that well, when you practice at home you pretend it's the easiest thing ever.

There is a similar concept in Effortless Mastery: play a single note. Notice how easy it was. Everything else that you ever play can be as easy as that single note.

Label the feeling to then distance yourself from it: instead of thinking I am nervous, think I feel nervous. That way you recognize it but you don't give in to it. It's a part of you at that moment but it's not the whole you. Then it's easier to remove it aside.

Find a smile in the room: just seeing that one smile will tell you that you're doing something right.