Is anxiety getting the better of you? Learn how to stay calm in high-stress situations and perform at the peak of your potential.
The stakes are high. The pressure is on. This moment could change the course of the year, maybe your entire life.
You feel your heart pounding in your chest. A bead of sweat running down your face. Muscles shaking uncontrollably.
It’s now or never.
And then it happens. The anxiety takes over. A wave of doubt rises up so high you hesitate, fumble, misfire. The stress is too much and you choke.
It’s a heartbreaking scenario but one that we’ve all faced before. An opportunity to do something truly remarkable (at least for us) and we fail miserably under the pressure of the moment.
Does this sound familiar? Has anxiety been stopping you from doing what you know you’re capable of? Let’s take a look at how to stay calm in high-stress situations and perform well under pressure.
How we respond to stress
There are many high-stress situations that we face in our lives. While most of them aren’t life or death, they still provoke a similar reaction within us. These include:
- Running the 100m dash on sports day
- Your first piano recital
- The final match of a BJJ tournament
- Surfing an 8ft wave
- University exams
- A job interview
- Giving a presentation to potential investors
- A live debate on television
When we’re under stress, the fight-or-flight response kicks in and we get a rush of hormones that prepare us for action – to fight or to run away. Our pupils dilate, muscles tighten, heart rate, blood pressure and breathing rate all increase.
This is a positive response when we jump into action, but it can also paralyse us, fill us with doubt and make us less effective. We make silly mistakes when anxiety takes over and fail to perform to our potential.
The key is to understand what’s happening inside of us and find the sweet spot of tension and relaxation. This takes a little practice but through focus, breathwork and positive self-talk we can all find calm in the midst of chaos.
The stay calm protocol
Here’s a great sequence for you to follow when you’re in a stressful situation. It will help you to focus your mind, calm your nerves and make good decisions. Each one of these steps are effective on their own, but bring them together and you have an even more powerful strategy:
Focus on a single object. Pick an object in front of you and focus on it with intent. It can be a spot on the wall, the leaf of a plant, a statue, a candle, a button on your keyboard, or whatever is in sight. Just make sure it’s close enough to gaze at. Direct your entire focus at this single object to quiet your mind and find stability in this moment.
Breath slowly and deeply. As you continue to focus on the object, take a deep breath in through the nose and exhale through the mouth. Fill your lungs from the belly up, then push all the air out with a gentle force. Your focus may begin to soften as you breath, but that’s ok, use the breath to become fully present and establish a state of calmness, steadiness and readiness.
Affirm yourself. Once you’re feeling relaxed and in control, quietly affirm yourself: “I feel great” “I’ve got this!” “I can do this!” “Seize the moment!” “Let’s Go!”. Any kind of positive affirmation, motto, or line from a song can help give you a little boost. Repeat one that resonates with you 3-5 times.
Move dynamically. Depending on where you are and what you are doing, you can move your body in a dynamic way to further reduce anxiety and better prepare you for action. A little fist pump, a short sprint, or some tuck jumps can flip fear on its head and make you feel like you’re ready for anything.
Smile. Don’t forget to smile and have some fun with it. Even if you don’t feel like it, smiling and being a little playful in your approach can change your perspective significantly.
Focus on the task. Forget about the outcomes. Ignore the onlookers and the ‘competition’. Silence the voices in your head. Now’s the time to focus on the task at hand and perform to the best of your abilities. Get in the zone and do what you need to do.
Repeat the sequence. Lots of things can go wrong in high-stress situations so keep repeating the sequence as often as you need to. If you notice you’re feeling anxious once again, and your mind is filled with negative self-talk, start from the beginning and repeat.
Once you’re in a stressful situation it can be difficult to think clearly, or find a way out, so it’s better to have a plan in place before hand. One that you’ve practiced and can turn to when the pressure is on. Practice this sequence often, under varying degrees of stress, and you’ll be able to rely on it when you need it most.
Tips to stay calm in high-stress situations
Here are some additional tips that will help you to stay calm in high-stress situations:
Pinpoint the stressful situations in your life. Make a list of the stressful situations that recur in your life, and prepare for them in advance. You can rank them in terms of intensity, from low to high, and include notes of your responses and behaviours when you are in each of them. For example, what do you do feel, think and do when you give a presentation at work? Eliminating the mystery will give you strength.
Practice meditation daily. Maintaining a state of calm is a skill that we can all develop, so practice meditation, mindfulness and Breathwork daily. This will improve your mind/body connection and make it easier for you to relax at will.
Practice under varying degrees of stress. Rehearse the sequence above as often as you can, so that you are fully prepared. Feel free to adapt it to suit your own needs and the types of pressure that you often encounter. Practice on your own at first, with little to no stress. Then, build up your capacity to stay calm under increasingly difficult conditions. With consistent practice, you’ll be able to handle a lot more than you ever thought possible.
Look for stressful situations. Most of us avoid stressful situations, but there are plenty that we can grow from and should actively chase. Running head first into these ‘little storms’ can prepare us for the ‘big storms.’ It’s is an effective way to build resilience and stimulate our appetite for a challenge.
Strengthen the pillars of life. Exercise, nutrition, and deep sleep are essential pillars of life. They increase our energy, drive, motivation and productivity. When we are strong in mind and body, we are much more resilient to the challenges of life. Don’t forget to get the basics right each and every day.
While we can’t prepare for every eventuality, we can handle a lot more than we think we’re capable of. Take the fear and the mystery out of high-stress situations and you’ll be well prepared for whatever comes your way.
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Featured Image: @sincerelymedia
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