The mind-body connection is incredibly strong, and chronic stress and anxiety can have a major impact on the body. As musicians, we are used to being “on” at all times; always preparing for the next competition, audition, or performance. Many of us have difficulty taking breaks because we are afraid that time off is an indication that we are not working hard enough. While it is important to practice consistently with intention to make progress, we often forget how crucial it is to maintain our mental and physical health at the expense of advancing our careers.
When you are feeling stressed out or anxious, your body reacts as if it is under attack. The body’s fight or flight response is stimulated and stress hormones such as cortisol are released as the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is activated. The HPA axis is one of the main stress response pathways in our body, controlling and regulating levels of stress-related hormones (Stephens & Wand, 2012). This stress response activates the immune system, which explains why chronic stress can take a serious toll on the body if the immune system is constantly being overworked. Chronic stress disrupts the balance within the immune system, leading to increased inflammation in the body. This can be one risk factor in the development of performance-related injuries (Goehler, 2017).
The autonomic nervous system contains two main divisions: the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems. These two systems work back and forth to regulate the body’s stress response. The vagus nerve is largely responsible for mind-body connection, constantly sending communication information between the brain and the internal organs. It provides the primary control for the autonomic nervous system’s parasympathetic division, otherwise known as our body’s rest and digest signal. It counteracts the fight or flight response that occurs when our sympathetic nervous system receives signals of potential danger from our body. The vagus nerve also plays a large role in the gut-brain connection with a large portion extending through our digestive systems. This partially explains why we may experience symptoms of an upset stomach or loss of appetite when under extreme stress. The vagus nerve and parasympathetic nervous system work together to down-regulate inflammation, which is the body’s typical response to stress. This interaction is just one way our body works to down-regulate the stress response.
Psychological or emotional distress is an indication of an overload on our psychological coping system. In order to lighten this load, we must either find ways to reduce stress or boost our coping mechanisms. Methods of stress management can include:
Meditation practice
Breathwork or breathing exercises
Yoga
Cardiovascular exercise
Constructive rest: an active rest practice to cultivate a whole and integrated body awareness (Likar, 2018)
Getting a massage or engaging in self-massage strategies
Journaling
Engaging in prayer or worship if you have a spiritual practice
Experiencing rewarding social interactions (Antony, 2019)
Our breath is one of our most important tools in managing our body’s response to stress. By learning to control and slow down our breath in stressful situations, we can activate our vagal stretch receptors which reduce our heart rate, blood pressure, and inflammation. This can be especially beneficial if you are feeling nervous or anxious before a performance or an audition. Controlled and deep breathing can also stimulate a relaxation response from our body and mind. Relaxation is important because it helps our body feel safe, it drives our brain traffic into a positive coping mindset, and it makes it easier to focus on realistic assessments of the situation at hand and develop strategies to solve it.
As musicians, it is essential to incorporate relaxation techniques into our daily routine to reduce general stress levels as much as possible. Because of the strong mind-body connection, the automatic fight or flight response in stressful situations causes a physical response in the body, which can cause your muscles to tense up and lead to chronic tension and pain if activated frequently.
Radical acceptance is one of my favorite coping mechanisms when I feel anxious or find myself in a stressful situation. Radical acceptance is a practice out of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, which is a method of providing new skill sets to clients to help them manage painful and uncomfortable emotions and decrease conflict in relationships. It illustrates that “legitimate pain is a part of life, but by fully accepting the situation, you lessen optional suffering” (Psychology Today, 2020). Radical acceptance is similar to mindfulness practice, which is defined as “paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgementally” (Kabat-Zinn, 1994). Acceptance allows you to reclaim your power both in the practice room and onstage. Human beings make mistakes, and learning to accept your mistakes allows you to move forward in an authentic and genuine way, embracing your full humanity and potential as a musician.
By: Francesca Leo
Edited by Rena Urso, Amy Likar, and Janice Ying, DPT
Francesca Leo is a cutting edge flutist, educator, and performing arts health advocate. She has appeared as a soloist with the Manhattan School of Music Chamber Sinfonia and the New Albany Symphony Orchestra and has performed internationally in Italy and France. Francesca is the founder of http://www.playingwithoutpain.com, an award-winning interactive website and social media platform committed to connecting musicians with resources to treat and prevent performance-related injuries and maintain good mental health. Francesca currently serves on the board of the National Flute Association Performance Health Care Committee and the Performing Arts Medicine Association Young Professionals Committee and is the chair of the Puerto Rico Flute Symposium Wellness Committee. She has recently completed a certification in the Essentials of Performing Arts Medicine through the Performing Arts Medicine Association and is currently pursuing a certification as a Body Mapping Educator. She holds a masters degree in flute performance from the Manhattan School of Music and a bachelors degree from Bowling Green State University.
References:
Antony, M. (2019, August 1). The Pathology of Perfectionism: How to Tame the Inner Critic [Webinar]. The Institute for Brain Potential. https://www.ibpceu.com/content/pdf/IBPDistanceLearningListofRecordedPrograms.pdf
Dialectical Behavior Therapy. (n.d.). Retrieved November 30, 2020, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapy-types/dialectical-behavior-therapy
Gibson, J. (2019, September 13). Mindfulness, Interoception, and the Body: A Contemporary Perspective. Retrieved November 30, 2020, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6753170/
Goehler, L. (2017, June 21). Mind-Body Interactions and the Stress-Inflammation Connection [Webinar]. The Institute for Brain Potential. https://www.ibpceu.com/content/pdf/IBPDistanceLearningListofRecordedPrograms.pdf
Kabat-Zinn, J. (1994). Wherever you go, there you are. London: Piatkus.
Likar, A. (2018). Whole Body Warm-Up: Constructive Rest. In The Breathing Book (pp. 1-2). Flagstaff, AZ: Mountain Peak Music.
Stephens, M., & Wand, G. (2012). Stress and the HPA axis: Role of glucocorticoids in alcohol dependence. Retrieved December 05, 2020, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3860380/