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Most people see "pressure situations" as threatening, and that makes them perform even less well.
But, "when you see the pressure as a challenge, you are stimulated to give the attention and energy needed to make your best effort."
To practice, build "challenge thinking" into your daily life.
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Is this high-pressure situation a good opportunity? Sure. Is it the only opportunity you will ever have for the rest of your life? Probably not.
Before an interview or a big meeting, give yourself a pep talk: "I will have other interviews" (or presentations or sales calls).
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Instead of worrying about the outcome, worry about the task at hand.
That means developing tunnel vision. When you keep your eye on the task at hand (and only the task at hand), all you can see is the concrete steps necessary to excel.
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"What-if" scenarios can be your friend. By letting yourself play out the worst-case outcomes, you're able to brace yourself for them.
The key here is that you're anticipating the unexpected. Instead of panicking, you'll be able to (better) "maintain your composure and continue your task to the best of your ability."
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In a pressure moment, there are factors you have control over and factors you don't.
Focus on the factors you can control, not on the "uncontrollables," that could intensify the pressure, increase your anxiety, and ultimately undermine your confidence.
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Remembering your past success ignites confidence. You did it before, and you can do it again.
Once you're feeling good about yourself, you'll be better able to cut through anxiety and take care of business.
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Belief in a successful outcome can prevent you from worry that can drain and distract your working memory.
Anxiety and fear are stripped from the equation, allowing you to act with confidence.
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When you're under a deadline and the world feels like it's crashing in, you're particularly prone to making careless errors.
To depressurize the situation, focus on the here and now. Tune into your senses. What do you see? What do you hear? How's your breathing?
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By listening to music, you're able to literally distract yourself from your anxiety.
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The idea here is to create a (brief) routine that you go through in the minutes before you present or perform, Weisinger and Pawliw-Fry suggest.
A "pre-routine" prevents you from becoming distracted, keeps you focused, and puts you in the "zone" by signaling to your body it's time to perform.
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When you're in a high-pressure situation, it's natural to speed up your thinking. It can lead you to act before you're ready.
Slow down. Give yourself a second to breathe and formulate a plan. You'll think more flexibly, creatively, attentively, and your work will be all the better for it.
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Telling someone else about the pressure you're feeling has been proven to reduce anxiety and stress.
Sharing your feelings allows you to examine them, challenge their reality, and view a pressure situation in a realistic manner.
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SIMILAR ARTICLES & IDEAS:
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Key Ideas
If you know you have a high-stakes event coming up, become familiar with feeling pressure and learn to work through it.
For example: If you need to give a presentation to cowo...
Whether it’s taking a few deep breaths, doing some light stretching, or having a quick phone call with someone you trust, spending your last few minutes doing something active before a big event will prevent you from spiraling into worry, so you can perform confidently.
... and to the task at hand.
Mindfulness can help you regain a sense of calm and focus your attention, so you can avoid being caught off guard by your anxiety. You can see it for what it is, and choose to direct your attention elsewhere.
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... is the ability to adapt to adversity or significant stress.
When faced with difficulty, resilient people recover more quickly. They view setbacks as temporary, move forward despit...
The ability to perceive setbacks as temporary and solvable.
Instead of viewing stress as a sign of failure or as a threat, you can choose to look for the challenge within it or the lesson to be learned.
Finding meaning within chaos is a core component of resilient leadership.
Resilient people take the time to understand what they’re feeling, even if it’s uncomfortable.
To manage your emotions effectively, you must learn to express yourself clearly, assertively, and with empathy for others.
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Key Ideas
We loose the ability to breath deeply naturally as we age: deep breathing comes naturally to children, but we lose the ability because we’re in a constant state of fight-or-flight, low-level str...
... is the fastest, most effective way to trigger the relaxation response, enabling you to think more clearly and perform better under pressure.
The Navy SEALs use 2 breathing techniques that force the body into a more relaxed state when they’re in a high-pressure situation: