Beyond the Stage: Is Mindfulness Part of Your Practice Routine?

September 1, 2025

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For musicians and other artists, mindfulness and meditation are essential tools for maintaining a creative and balanced career. These practices can help you break free from toxic “hustle culture,” navigate creative burnout and blocks, and build resilience. This is especially important because studies show that artists and musicians are up to three times more likely to experience anxiety and depression than the general public.

Managing Performance Nerves

It’s natural to feel nervous before a performance. Instead of fighting the feeling, accept it. Take a few deep, calming breaths and be deliberate with everything you do. This will stop you from feeling rushed and frantic and will anchor your mind in the present. Focus on the conductor, your bandmates, and the music. Listen carefully, even when you’re not playing. This will help you avoid getting to the end of a show and not remembering how you got there.

The constant pressure of performing, coupled with the need for perfection, can take a toll on your mental health. In times of stress, thoughts you can usually compartmentalize can suddenly overwhelm you. Being able to reframe your thoughts is a valuable skill. For example, instead of thinking, “My performance was not up to par,” you can reframe it to, “I’ll rehearse the problematic part before tomorrow night’s performance.” This new thought may not completely solve the issue, but it will help you gain perspective.

Learning Mindfulness

Spending too much time planning, problem-solving, daydreaming, or thinking negative or random thoughts can be draining. It can also make you more likely to experience stress, anxiety, and symptoms of depression. Meditative exercises can help redirect your attention and engage more productively with the world around you.

Mindfulness is a type of meditation in which you focus on being intensely aware of what you’re sensing and feeling in the moment, without interpretation or judgment. It helps to experience thoughts and emotions with greater balance and acceptance. Practices in mindfulness can include yoga breathing exercises, guided imagery, and other methods to relax the body and mind and reduce stress. Apps and online videos can be useful guides.

Yoga is gentle movement that relaxes your muscles. But you can incorporate meditation into other types of movement or activity. One that’s ideally suited is playing your instrument. Give your full attention to what you’re doing; be fully present. This naturally deflects negative thinking.

In many clinical trials, overall evidence supports the effectiveness of meditation for various conditions, including anxiety, depression, high blood pressure, and insomnia.

Some ways to practice mindfulness:

• Take time to experience your environment with all your senses—touch, sound, sight, smell, and taste.

• Live in the moment. Bring open, accepting, and discerning attention to everything you do. Find joy in simple pleasures.

• Accept yourself. Treat yourself the way you would treat a good friend.

• Focus on breathing. When negative thoughts surface, sit down, take a deep breath, and close your eyes. Focus on your breath moving in and out of your body. You will feel results, even if it’s done for only a few minutes.

More structured meditation exercises:

• Body scan meditation. Lie on your back with your legs extended and arms at your sides, palms facing up. Focus your attention slowly and deliberately on each part of your body, in order, from toe to head or head to toe. Be aware of any sensations, emotions, or thoughts associated with each part of your body.

• Sitting meditation. Sit comfortably with your back straight, feet flat on the floor, and hands in your lap. Breathe through your nose and focus on your breath moving in and out of your body. If physical sensations or thoughts interrupt your meditation, note the experience and then return your focus to your breath.

• Walking meditation. Find a quiet place 10 to 20 feet in length and begin to walk slowly. Focus on the experience of walking, being aware of the sensations of standing and the subtle movements that keep your balance. When you reach the end of your path, turn and continue walking, maintaining awareness of your sensations.

Signal Your Brain for Sleep

As a musician, you’re likely to have an atypical work schedule. Therefore, it can be difficult to create a calming bedtime routine. Also, playing in front of an audience increases levels of adrenaline, cortisol, dopamine, endorphins, and serotonin, all of which make it more difficult to sleep. They can increase your heart rate and block melatonin—the sleep hormone.

If you find that worries are taking over your day and preventing you from getting sleep, limit your worry time to a 10 to 15-minute period dedicated to thinking of solutions and writing them down. Do this an hour or so before bed to stop racing thoughts before you sleep. Even if you can’t do anything about some of the worries, you’ll find having thought them through thoroughly will help diminish them.

Whether that’s a to-do list for the following day, a list of things you’re grateful for, journal entries using prompts, or random thoughts, the act of writing can clear your mind before bed.

Reach Out for Help

Even with the number of social media outlets and online connectivity, many people still feel lonely. In fact, the American Medical Association has adopted a policy that identifies loneliness as a public health issue affecting people of all ages. Never underestimate the power of spending time with people you love and trust. Talking to someone about how you feel can prevent feelings of isolation and loneliness.

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