Stressed before your interview? Don’t be! Follow these 5 Tips to “D-Stress” before your Pageant Interview.

1. Breathe: Take in slow, long (Not shallow!) breaths through your nose, hold for 5 seconds and out your mouth to allow oxygen to your brain to clear your mind. Remember to hold the air with your diaphragm, not your throat, this slows down your racing heart rate and decompresses your body.
2. Stretch or run in place- exercise releases endorphin which greatly diminish your perception of pain and not only boosts your overall mood but (referring back to tip 1) allows more oxygen into your bloodstream and can balance out all the adrenaline and anxiety running through you pre-pageant! A good stretch for pageant girls is shoulder rolls. We tense up when we’re nervous, so rolling your shoulders back a couple times can release that tensions and shift them back instead of forwards.
3. Review your paperwork but don’t over analyze it- Looking over your paperwork and refreshing what’s on your fact-sheet will give you a good frame of mind what will be asked and your answers will be fresh if you forget!
4. Listen to music or practice your talent- Put on your favorite song and jam out! Make the most of the free-time you have or listen to tunes while doing your makeup or hair so you’re in a good head-space and feel at home!
5. Have fun!- You’ve probably heard it 1,000 times before a pageant but having fun helps you deal with the stress. If you’re extrovert, socialize! Talk to everyone and make friends! If you’re introverted (like me) give yourself the alone time and space from others you need as well as slightly socialize (Pageant girls will be the best friends you’ll ever make!). If you’ve ever competed with me you’ll see I’m in my “own little world” most of the time, I’m finding my balance between happy energy and nervous energy and that’s okay! Do you!

And most of all, focus on yourself! You know yourself best, and whatever will make you happy and comfortable during the pageant is perfectly fine: get some fresh air, take a deep breath, stay warm and relax. Take some time to read-over your paperwork and practice but don’t get overwhelmed. Just “D-stress” and everything will fall into place.