036 - The Coach Up: Steve's Best Strategies for Handling Pressure
May 6, 2024
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Discover effective strategies for managing nerves and pressure in high-stress situations. Learn about physiological tricks and positive interpretations of stress to improve performance. Explore facing failure as a way to cope with pressure and fear. Dive into a coach's unique strategy to build self-confidence. Delve into how elite athletes navigate pressure through personalized responses and growth opportunities.
Focusing on reaching the starting line can help dissipate stress before a performance.
Maintaining a strong focus on the initial part of a task sets a confident tone for execution.
Deep dives
Techniques to Handle Pressure
Handling pressure effectively involves developing various tools to cycle through when faced with high-pressure situations. One key strategy is to focus on getting to the starting line, as the actual performance often helps dissipate stress. Another useful technique is zooming out to gain perspective and realize the insignificance of the current stress in the grand scheme of things. Additionally, employing physiological disruptors like adjusting breathing or using cold water can help shift the body out of a stress response.
Preparation and Action Execution
Emphasizing the significance of initial preparation and action execution, maintaining a strong focus on the first part of a performance can set the tone for the rest. By ensuring a thorough understanding and readiness for the beginning stages, individuals can alleviate stress and confidently continue with the task at hand. This approach applies to various scenarios, from giving a presentation to engaging in a race, highlighting the importance of initial confidence and mastery.
Developing Resilience Through Experience
Elite athletes, despite their high level of performance, also face stress and nerves similar to less experienced individuals. The crucial factor distinguishing them is the abundance of practice and exposure to handling such emotions. Viewing nerves as an opportunity for practice and growth, even in high-stake situations, can help reframe the experience and build resilience over time. The repetition of managing nerves and stress contributes to honing coping mechanisms and improving performance outcomes.
Over many years of evolution, we've been wired to have very trigger happy alarm systems. Unfortunately, those alarms tend go off most loudly right before a big performance, creating a cascade of nerves that can derail our ability to run a race, deliver a presentation, or nail the interview. Today, Steve offers some of the best strategies he’s used (and coaches his athletes to use) for turning down the alarm and marshaling the energy of your nerves to work for—not against—you.
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