Practicing pressure 

I think most people would agree with me that the ability to perform under pressure isn’t a fixed personality trait but rather something that can be developed over time, like most things, through practice. The problem is placing ourselves outside of our comfort zone into a pressure situation can be the cause of emotions that we would rather not experience, such as, anxiety, discomfort, self-doubt and fear. It is in our nature to want to avoid unpleasant emotions, so it can be extremely tempting to just creep back into our comfort zone and avoid pressure situations all together. The problem is all our goals and ambitions often lie on the other side of challenge, so if we avoid the discomfort of pressure, we may find ourselves in a state of plateau. The reality is if we want to achieve things and experience life, we have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. So, here’s my top three tips for learning to thrive under pressure. 

1, Explore the beliefs you have around pressure.  

One of the biggest factors of whether people thrive or fall apart under pressure is their perception of it. If you view a pressure as facilitative and pressure situations as an exciting opportunity progress, if we view the physical manifestations of pressure, for example butterflies in the stomach as your body getting ready for action, then you are more likely to thrive in pressure situations. However, if you view pressure as something that is debilitating and view the physical manifestations of pressure as a sign it’s all going to fall apart then you are less likely to cope under pressure.  

One of the biggest factors of whether people thrive or fall apart under pressure is their perception of it.

How an individual perceives pressure depends largely on what beliefs they hold around pressure situations, and their belief in their ability perform under pressure. Therefore, to learn how to perform under pressure it’s well worth taking time to explore the beliefs you have around pressure situations and the impact they have on your behaviour.  

2, Set short term achievable goals 

Of course, the best way to get good at performing well under pressure is to practice performing under pressure. However, the key is to get the level of challenge just right. Enough pressure to provide a mastery experience of your ability to perform under pressure but not so much that you feel overwhelmed and retreat back to your comfort zone. For example, your goal might be to ride confidently in a dressage test. Small steps towards that might be to invite spectators to watch you at home, or to ask a friend to video your test. 

The key is to get the level of challenge just right

3, Gets some psychological tools in your tool kit 

Psychological skills such as relaxation breathing, self-talk and imagery can help you manage the sympathetic nervous system or fear response triggered by pressure. This can stop you from spiralling into a threat state when under pressure, leading to positive experiences which can alter your confidence in your ability to cope under pressure in the future. 

Learning to thrive under pressure is a life skill that can help you in all aspects of your life

Ultimately this is one of the reasons I feel sports participation is so invaluable, particularly for children and young adults. Learning to thrive under pressure is a life skill that can help you in all aspects of your life, so embrace the struggle and go for it.