“I CAN'T GO THROUGH WITH THIS!” The Mid-Season Panic Attack: Why It Happens and How to Keep Singing Through it.

Every choir will reach a particular rehearsal, usually about halfway through the preparation

schedule when, one or two people, usually less experienced singers, suddenly disappear.

This half-way point is when some choir members, especially beginners, find themselves

thinking:

“I’m not good enough to be doing this.”

“I’m not doing as well as everyone else.”

If this sounds familiar, pause and ask yourself: By what metric are you measuring your

progress? What would “good enough” actually sound and look like? Is it a realistic expectation to have for yourself as a beginner, about to take part in your first ever choir concert?

Women Rockin' Harmony Choirs rehearsing at Scream Theatre Schools Blackpool.

Whose Voice Are You Listening To?

Are you actually replaying criticism from long ago, perhaps even from your school days? How long do you intend to allow their judgement to dictate the direction of your life? One more year? Two? A decade? Your entire life? How likely is that person to be in the audience?

Perhaps the greatest gift we humans possess is that of imagination. It's how we invent things like washing machines and rocket ships. It's the engine of our ability to compose literature and music. Humans can literally fly to the moon because a few of us imagined what it would be like and then went ahead and did it. Yet, imagination can also be our greatest downfall. Are you hearing the voice of an imaginary critic – triggered by perfectly normal and natural sensations in your nervous system? Sensations designed to keep you safe from saber-toothed tigers. How many of those are likely to rock up to the show?

Have you ever sought a second professional opinion on your voice or singing ability? If the

answer is no, then it’s likely your fear is not based in reality.

Are you comparing yourself to a professional singer you've heard on recordings or in a stadium? Yet, here you are in an amateur choir, rehearsing to sing in a local church hall. Will expectations of the choir, let alone you, be the same? Does your livelihood depend on this performance?

Feelings Aren’t Facts

That “I’m not good enough” feeling isn't evidence that you're not measuring up.

It’s just the brain’s fight-or-flight instinct kicking in. You’re not failing. You’re feeling.

The Power of Community

By the half way point in preparing for a show, you will likely be on friendly terms with a few

people in the choir. So, this is a great moment to mention your concerns. A word of reassurance from someone standing next to you can do wonders. Especially if they were nervous the first time they performed in front of an audience.

But even when a whole choir offers encouragement, some singers still struggle to believe it.

That’s often because the real fear isn’t about singing — it’s about change.

'Morphing from “someone with anxiety” to “a confident performer” can feel threatening. Anxiety is familiar. Confidence is not.

Being afraid of your own feelings is what's really happening here. Remember: anxiety is a

feeling, not a personality trait. Nor is it evidence that you're failing. Avoiding situations that

trigger anxiety reinforces a habit of fleeing. Facing them, one rehearsal and one performance at a time, is how you build confidence.

Just stay the course. Let yourself feel that intense nervous energy before curtain up - and

then experience how quickly it fades as the show progresses. Allow yourself the luxury of

feeling triumphant when the curtain comes down and you stayed on the stage for the whole

show. Maybe you didn't sing every note perfectly. But you stayed on that stage. That's the big win for your first concert experience, not a perfect performance.

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It’s all About the Team

Some nervous singers fear “letting everyone down”. It's highly unlikely you will do that. If you truly weren't measuring up, your choir director would have intervened and most likely offered help long before now. Choir performances are about teamwork - not individual perfection. You’re not singing solo. No spotlight will single you out. The audience’s eyes and hearts are focused on their friends and loved ones. And the bigger the choir, the less anyone is likely to home in on you in particular.

What matters is that you saw it through and showed up on the big day. The true let down is

when you suddenly leave and “everyone” has to regroup. It's unkind, unfair and totally

unnecessary. And you won't feel it. Everyone you leave behind will. If you shift from caring about your own feelings to considering others' you may begin to experience a different voice in your head – that of your grown self instead of the frightened child of the past.

When to Get Extra Help

If you notice this repeating pattern of behaviour of fleeing as soon as anxiety rises , it might help to talk with a therapist. Singing in a choir is powerful, but sometimes you might need a little extra support.

Remember:

You joined the choir for a reason - to sing, to connect, to grow. If you've joined other choirs and fled before a performance, it's clear you want to get past this. So, make this the time you finally silence that imaginary critical voice and get on that stage.

Women Rockin' Harmony Choirs members experiencing the fun of performing together at Layton Institute, Blackpool.