On the Edge of the Cliff: How to Perform Under High Pressure
Your body shifts into high gear when you are in a high-pressure situation and the fight-or-flight instinct kicks in. You start sweating, you feel a lump in your throat and your hands might even start shaking. That’s your body’s response to fear, you feel like you’re losing your composure and your mind starts slipping again and again and again…
There’s no stopping your thoughts from racing. It seems you can’t catch any of them and voice them like a normal coherent human being. And you have no memory left… Yes, after practicing so much, there’s nothing left now…nothing… Why are you here exactly? What do these people want from you? You just can’t wait to get off the stage and hide for eternity. Pretty dramatic, I know, but public speaking is a high-pressure situation for most people that turns the survival mode on and is the reason of many nightmares.
Why do we feel pressure and why we’re afraid of it?
2000 years ago, if you were to speak in front of 150 people, well, that would mean that you’re speaking to an entire village. And if you’d get on the nerves of the tribe chief or whatever they were called, you could have easily get killed or challenged to an impromptu ‘duel’ to show you who’s the man, who was superior. Yes, everybody was extremely good mannered back in the day… If you weren’t killed on the spot, you were exiled from the tribe and had to hunt on your own, which meant that you were going to die sooner rather than later from starvation or animal attacks.
Today the world has changed, but our basic instincts didn’t keep up with the changes in our environment and society. We don’t live anymore in that reality but our brain keeps telling us that we do. And that is an evolutionary mismatch. We have to understand that these fears and pressures which we allow to weigh on our minds are actually real things. That’s our old brain telling us how to behave based on the ‘genetic’ memories we carry with us.
I was always an emotional mess during my early competition days. That’s why I’ve pondered questions that at the time had no easy answer to me, such as ‘how do I deal with this?’, ‘how do I get rid of this feeling that’s a barrier between me and my success, between me and the joy of competing’. I searched two years for an answer and nothing really worked, I always under performed in competition periods, rather than training at my best.
But I was never a quitter, so I came to know what helps me rise above pressure and I want to share with you in hope that it would help you too:
- Be prepared but don’t overthink it
When it comes to public speaking, for example, people’s fears sound like the following statements:
- I will forget the material;
- I will go blank and don’t know what to say;
- I will say something wrong at the wrong time;
- I will get asked a question that I cannot answer.
Being prepared takes off pressure and lets you go with your instinct. It offers you the mind space and freedom to play with the information you had in the first place. I used to think that I was taking into account all possibilities but actually I was going into a deep loop with over thinking and ruminating on all the possible ‘what if’s’. I can now analyze, which is not the same as overthinking, and take calculated risks which help me be prepared for ‘worst-case scenarios’.
If you want to learn how to master ‘crisis’, the key is to anticipate the unexpected. Imagine the most uncomfortable scenarios and think about how you would solve them. This way, you will know how to respond and you will have “backup” plans. And you’ll realize that they’re not as terrible as your mind makes them.
Also, because I believe in what I say, I know that if I’ m speaking at a conference, there’s nothing that might happen that could startle me. What could some member of the audience say? What could happen? I believe that I am capable of dealing with almost everything, and this has more to do with self-confidence, but that’s a topic for another day.
I, like many others, can’t memorize word by word material and reproduce it. There is no precise way to do things. Therefore, if I have my slides ready and I rely on every comma and sentence I have prepared, I could just call it quits from the very beginning. So, instead, I know the main points and what I’m trying to get across and I just follow a general direction set beforehand.
2. Convince yourself that it’s not such a big deal
Unless it’s a life or death situation, you’re safe. I have this underlying belief that some things are not such a big deal. Even though it was a national championship or a call with the most important client. Yes, it’s a brainwashing mechanism that makes my life easier and to be honest, I nailed it down to perfection. For example, when I’m shooting a video that my team has worked to set up for two hours I should feel immense pressure, but I don’t. I don’t overplay in my mind scenarios where I let them down or where I stutter or forget what I’m about to say. Of course, I want to do well, but I think I would simply make it worse if I’d put emphasis on people’s expectations.
Oops, I did it again! Remember that song? Brings back some memories… If you messed up, you’re not the first person to make a mistake. The people you look up to, all have failures. It’s all part of the process, that’s how you learn. Big blunders may come along but focus on the lessons you were left with rather than dwelling on your failures.
3. Focus on other people
Although you’re at the center of that stage or you’re the one performing a task, it’s really not about you. During a stage event focus on your audience and make it about them. It is not the lions’ den. In truth, people attend conferences because they seek information. They want a solution to one of their problems, they seek inspiration, they seek answers, they seek empathy or at times they seek an opposite point of view. So keep in mind that this is the final goal: to keep them entertained, informed and to offer them a burst of good energy.
Here’s what I do:
I’m not the smartest but I know that I want to provide value to my audience and when I’m there, I am THERE, I am PRESENT! I make jokes with the audience, sometimes I make fun of myself, I try to engage them and see their point of view. People really appreciate that in a conference setting. I’m not worried about how I look or how on point I have to be with my presentation
A strong mind — the difference between those who can handle pressure and those who fall apart
The reason why I’m putting pressure on myself all the time is not because I want to handle pressure well but because I want to train my mind to be strong. I think that people that don’t handle pressure well are weak-willed. They don’t want to spend the time to go towards the pain and understand how that comes in or they’re too afraid of it and they completely avoid it or deny it. If you are afraid of pressure that’s mostly based on fears, doubts and lack of self-esteem.
What’s my secret?
Instead of putting myself in the lion’s mouth I apply micro pressures. I have self-imposed pressures that are connected to my routines and standards. It is intentional. If I have to finish a task in two weeks time I pressure myself to finish it in only two hours. It’s my thing, I do it because I want to and because I like it. I like the adrenaline rush it gives me.
As for my routine… First thing in the morning: I don’t hit the snooze button — that’s discipline and that’s applying a little bit of pressure on myself because there are days when I haven’t slept much.
The second thing is that I make my bed with no exception and I make it perfectly. Afterwards, I go and read my affirmations. And then I meditate and visualize my goals. All these imply discipline. I don’t allow myself to underperform so if I don’t feel particularly well in a day I will do it anyways. My ego gets pumped and I feel on top of the world.
At night I take cold showers which is extremely painful to do at night when you are tired and without too much willpower. The next thing I do is to write in my journal and read my affirmations, I do some stretching exercises and I go to bed. That’s how you get the confidence boost that you need to do greater things!
Those small things train your mind to be better, faster and stronger and they give you more control when higher stress situations will rise. Every rock can turn into a diamond if you put enough pressure on it. Pressure leads you at the core of who you are, of what you want to be. For example, when I take my cold shower I feel like I’m putting myself in the way of fear. It’s uncomfortable but because you put pressure on those feelings you’re exactly that rock that becomes a diamond. You should welcome pressure.
Pressure is supposed to build us and makes us stronger. I find that I am more effective when I am under pressure. I love meeting challenges and finding creative solutions. But if that’s not your cup of tea, you can also improve step by step and become better at handling pressure. Everyone’s nervous. We’re human after all. Whether it’s the routines you stick to, the practice time or the boundaries you push further each time, try to find what works best for you. And if you’re a master at coping in high pressure situations, please let me know in the comments below what are your tricks.
Thank you so much for reading this article and I hope you enjoyed it. If you want to learn more follow my profile on Medium, or see my Facebook and YouTube profiles — I make an effort out of posting amazing stuff there for you guys :) Have a kickass day! Much love!
