You mostly do not stop it; you stop fighting it, and it fades faster. Shaking is adrenaline leaving through the muscles. Long exhales lower the next wave, and letting the shake happen in the big muscles (legs, hands) rather than clamping it into the jaw and shoulders is what performers learn to do.
The steps
- Exhale long, three times, out longer than in.
- Let your hands shake. Do not grip them. If you are standing, soften your knees.
- Put your attention low in the belly on the next exhale and let the floor drop under the bracing.
- Say the factual sentence: adrenaline, it will pass in a couple of minutes.
- Move if you can: walk, shake out the arms, roll the shoulders. Adrenaline wants a job.
When not to, and when to get help instead
If shaking comes with chest pain, confusion, or does not fade within a few minutes of settling, that is medical, not nerves. Not while driving.
What the research says
Tremor under stress is a normal sympathetic response, and clamping it is what turns a shaky hand into a shaky voice, because the clamp runs up through the neck. The slow exhale lowers sympathetic drive within a minute or two in lab studies. I have no trial on letting the legs shake; that is thirty years of green rooms.
Other methods people use
Box breathing while seated and waiting can help. Progressive muscle relaxation, tensing and releasing, is the long form of “let it shake,” good the night before but too conspicuous in the wings. A banana and a glass of water an hour before are not breathing advice, but low blood sugar makes everything shake more.
Questions people also ask
Why does my voice shake when I'm nervous?
Because the shake you are suppressing in your body has moved to the one place you cannot clamp, the vocal folds. Let the hands and legs shake, lengthen the exhale, and the voice usually steadies.
Does caffeine make nervous shaking worse?
Yes, reliably. On a day you have to perform, cut it in half or skip it.
In the book
Techniques
Rooms
Two rules, no exceptions
Never practice any technique on this site while you are driving, operating machinery, or doing anything that needs your full attention. The slow ones can make you drowsy, faster than you’d expect. And never practice a breath-hold, bellows breath, or any vigorous breathing in or near water. Read Before you begin for the doctor’s list and the rest.
More in “Right now”
- How do I calm down fast when anxiety spikes?
- What breathing helps during a panic attack?
- How do I breathe when I'm angry and about to say something I'll regret?
- How do I breathe after bad news?
Written by Eric Bradley. Last reviewed October 2026. One performer’s craft, offered for general information; not medical advice, mental health treatment, or a substitute for care.