The Mind Over Finger Podcast - 251 Your Heart Is Racing. Now What? The "Yes, And" trick that turns nerves into focus

Episode Date: February 26, 2026

When your heart is racing and your brain starts whispering "don't mess this up," it's easy to think the goal is to shut the thoughts down. But that fight is often the thing that turns normal pre performance activation into full anxiety. In this short episode, I borrow the first rule of improv, "Yes, and," and show you how to use it as a musician. Not to become fearless, but to stay in the music even when doubt is in the room. In this episode, you'll hear: ·         The difference between normal activation and anxiety, and how the "second layer" of thoughts creates the spiral ·         Why denial and forcing yourself to "stop thinking" usually backfire right before performance ·         How to use "Yes, and" as validation, so your nervous system feels supported instead of bullied ·         Real scripts for the moments musicians actually struggle with, feeling behind in practice, tight in the warmup room, or rattled by a mistake on stage ·         A one minute breath reset you can do anywhere, 4 count inhale, 6 count exhale, paired with "Yes" and "And" ·         A simple challenge for today, catch one scary thought, validate it, and keep going   If you're ready to step on stage with confidence, perform at your best, and finally feel secure in your playing, let's talk! Book a free discovery call and let's create a plan to get you there. Are you ready to take your playing and career to the next level and create a life that feels purposeful and joyful? Let's connect and explore how personalized coaching can support your journey. Click here to schedule your free consultation, and let's start turning your goals into reality.   Book your FREE Music Mastery Experience Discovery call with Renée HERE Book your free consultation with Renée HERE Download the transcript from this episode HERE   Mind Over Finger Click www.mindoverfinger.com/coaching to book your free consultation with me. Visit MindOverFinger.com for my online courses as well as free resources on peak performance. Grab my free workshops and PDF downloads by going to www.mindoverfinger.com/resources. Connect: https://www.youtube.com/@MindOverFinger https://www.facebook.com/mindoverfinger/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/mindoverfinger https://www.instagram.com/mindoverfinger/     THANK YOU: Most sincere thank you to composer Jim Stephenson who graciously provided the show's musical theme:  Concerto #1 for Trumpet and Chamber Orchestra – Movement 2: Allegro con Brio, performed by Jeffrey Work, trumpet, and the Lake Forest Symphony, conducted by Jim Stephenson.

You're listening to the Mind Over Finger podcast. This is episode 251. Welcome to the Mind Over Finger podcast, where we dive into the world of mindful music making, peak performance, and crafting a purpose-driven life and career. I'm your host, violinist, certified performance and life coach for musicians, and your guide to unlocking your full potential, Dr. Ranipo Gautier. Hello, I hope you're doing great. Today, I have a short one, but a really fun one and something that I think you will find very applicable. And it came from a very ordinary parenting moment. I went to my son improv show at school. It was awesome. It was chaotic and honestly kind of brilliant. And it reminded me of the first rule of improv,

which is yes and. Not yes, but. Not no, that's not what I wanted. Not stop, rewind. Let's do that again. It's yes and. So you hear me say improv and you might be thinking jazz, cadenzas, or making something up on the spot. That's not what I mean today. I mean, improvising with reality. Because a lot of what makes performance anxiety feel unbearable is not the stress symptoms themselves. It's the second layer. It's what you say about the symptoms. It's what you think about the symptoms. And here's the science in plain language. When you're about to perform, your body activates your heart rate goes up your breath changes your hands feel different your mouth might be dry your legs might be shaky all of that is not your body failing that's your

body preparing it's energy it's mobilization and I call it activation but anxiety is what happens when you take that activation and you add a fight with your own mind over that. Nate Zinsser talks about this beautifully in The Confident Mind, one of my favorite books. So the body does what bodies do before a challenge. Then the thoughts pile on. And that combination is what turns stress into anxiety. And the thoughts are not subtle. It might sound like, I might mess up, they're going to judge me, my hands feel weird, what if I blank, what if I crack a note, what if I lose the tempo, what if I ruin it? So now, here's the part that matters.

Most musicians respond to those thoughts in one of two ways. We pretend we're not thinking them, or we try to shut them down. and both usually backfire because your nervous system is not convinced by denial and it is definitely not calmed by force. If a part of you is scared and you respond by yelling at it, that part does not relax. It gets louder. So what works better? Here's the word. Validation. And I'm not talking about agreement. I'm talking about validation. Validation is when you acknowledge what's there without making it a catastrophe. And this is where yes and becomes a performance tool, a really great performance tool. Yes, I might mess up and I can recover.

Yes, they might judge me. Most likely will. And I can still play with conviction. Yes, my heart is pounding. And that's my body getting ready to do something important. Yes, I could have a memory slip. And I've navigated mistakes before. I know how to keep going.

I know how to do this. Yes, this passage is not stable yet. And I can practice with focus and calm instead of panicking. Yes, I feel exposed and vulnerable today. And I can still communicate something real through the music. This is not positive thinking. This is psychological flexibility. It's a beautiful thing.

It's you receiving reality and continuing forward. It's you staying in the scene. Because the moment that you argue with your fear, and really hear me when I say this, the moment you argue with your fear, you leave the music. You've heard me say this before on the podcast, and my clients hear it all the time. Byron Katie says, when you fight with reality, you lose. but only every time. So you receive reality, you validate it, and you play with it. When you give in to the fear, you go up into your head and you start to manage danger.

You're in crisis management. But when you say yes and, you're telling the nervous system something important. You're saying, I hear you. You're saying, you're allowed to be here. You're saying, we're still going to keep going. And that, my friend, lends as safety. And safety is what lets your breath drop. Safety is what makes your jaw release. and it's how your attention come back to your sound. Let's make that even more concrete with some practice examples because this is where musicians can use it every day.

So let's say you sit down to practice and you feel behind. The old script is, that's not good enough. I should be further. I'm wasting time. Try this instead. Yes, I feel behind.

And I can still do 20 minutes of honest work. Yes, I'm frustrated. And I can choose one small target and improve it. Yes, I don't have my best focus today. And I can practice in shorter chunks and still make great progress. Or you're in the warm-up room before a performance. and your sound feels tight. The old script says, oh no, something's wrong. I'm not ready. Here's a new script. Yes, my sound feels tight right now. And I know it can open up as I breathe

and relax and listen. Yes, I feel stiff. And I can prioritize resonance over force for five minutes. Or maybe you're on stage and something goes off. Maybe a shift is late, entrance is not clean, or your memory is shaky. So the old script would say, that's it. It's ruined. Everyone knows. Here's the and version. Yes, that's not what I wanted. And I'm back on the phrases. Yes, that surprised me. And I can keep the character and the line. Yes, I felt shaky. And I can anchor to rhythm and keep moving. This is the moment where yes and becomes the opposite of spiraling. Because spiraling is no. No, this can't be happening. No, I can't feel this way. No, this has to go away right now.

And I know you know what I'm talking about when I says that no creates friction inside your system. Yes, and reduces friction. It keeps you in motion. so now i want to give you a simple breathing exercise to pair with this because words are powerful and great and all but breath is even more direct and more impactful so here's what i want you to try today takes one minute you sit or stand and i want you to inhale through your nose for four and exhale for six. And you're going to do that five times. So on each inhale, you're going to say quietly in your mind, yes. And on each exhale, you're going to say and. Yes. And. Yes, this is here. And I can stay with the music. And if you want, you can plug in

your own sentence on the next breaths. Yes, I might mess up and I can recover. Yes, I feel activated and that energy can serve me. So inhale for four, exhale for six. Yes, and. And one last point before I close. This is not about eliminating nerves. It's about changing your relationship with them. You don't need a silent mind to perform well. You need a mind that you can work with. You need a nervous system that feels supported and not bullied. So today, take yes and into one place. Your practice, a warm-up, a rehearsal, or your next performance. Catch one scary thought. Don't argue with it. Validate it and keep going. Yes and. And if you want to tell me where you used yes and this week, send me a message. I love

hearing how these tools land in real musicians' life. For my fellow note takers and my deep thinkers, the summary and transcript are waiting in the show notes for you. So there's no need to take notes. And if this episode was helpful, and if you want support applying this to your own playing, book a discovery call with me. This is exactly the kind of work we do together. We look at what your anxiety is doing, what your thoughts are doing, what your nervous system is doing, and we build a plan you can trust in practice and in performance. You go to mindoverfinger.com slash coaching, book your free call, and let's talk. All right, this is what I have for you today. Take very good care of yourself. I'll see you in the next episode.

Much love going your way, and à bientôt. And there you have it. Thank you so much for spending this time with me today. If you enjoyed this episode, I'd love it if you'd share with your friends and colleagues. Take a screenshot, post it on social media and tag me. I'm mind over finger everywhere. I always love hearing your favorite takeaways. And if you're ready to take your playing career to the next level, I'd love to invite you to join the Music Mastery Experience. This is my signature group coaching program, where we're going to dive deep into building your confidence and mastery and set you up for success and fulfillment in your life and career. You can find all the details

at mindoverfinger.com. While you're there, check out the free downloads and online courses available to support your journey even further. And don't forget to subscribe to my newsletter so you never miss an update or a tool to help you thrive. Again, thank you for being here. Until next time, much love and à bientôt.