Like so many other thousands of Scots on Saturday night I found myself glued to the X Factor, captivated by our fellow Scots Emily Middlemas performance.

 It is quite amazing to see how composed someone can appear to be externally when they are literally going like a fayre inside. It’s especially impressive when they are doing something like speaking, singing or playing an instrument all of which require such control over your breathing.

It is always so refreshing to see the confidence of youth before the pressures of who they think they should be kick in and all we see or hear is pure unadulterated confidence. Especially when, someone like Emily who was concerned about the size of her voice compared to other competitors, was literally able to swallow her nerves and deliver a beautiful, individual performance. She did this extremely well.

As I am sure you have all experienced that feeling when you’re so nervous your voice seems to disappear or when you open your mouth to speak instead of your own familiar voice, out comes this shaky faint sound that you barely recognise.

The worst experience I had of this was thankfully the first and last. Having got down to the final two candidates for a position that I was quite frankly punching above my weight for and knowing that I was the wild card, the rough diamond in the mix. I felt utterly self-assured until I sought advice from an industry professional.

The result was an absolute marbles-in-my mouth Bridget Jones catastrophe. I completely forgot how to be myself and speak at all, let alone to do it coherently! The heart pounding darkness is a feeling I will never forget! As a result I have huge admiration for anyone who can get up there and showcase their talents whilst keeping their nerves at bay.

For those for whom this doesn’t come to naturally, be it the sports professionals, actors or singers that I work with, we use a few essential tools to help them keep focused and allow them to deliver a worthy performance.

Mental rehearsal is crucial for a knockout performance, as is installing some anchors.

Breathing exercises help stabilise the nerves to allow peak focus and delivery.

And last, but never least, being ‘in the moment’ enough to remember that they are doing this because they want to be doing it, not for anyone one else.

After all we are here for a good time, not a long time so let’s give it all we’ve got! I know who will get my vote on Saturday night!

If you want Sandie to help you then contact her on www.sandierobertson.com or see her at https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/why-weight