How to perform under pressure - Book Recommendations

This video is on the book Performing Under Pressure, the science of doing your best when it matters most, by Hendrie Weisinger and J.P. Pawliw-Fry

For the book click here: goo.gl/FP26ZG

IMPORTANT POINTS/SUMMARY on How to Relieve Stress and Perform our Best Under Pressure

2 things we should avoid:

First, avoid magnifying situations.
- Importance increase pressure and magnifying the situation will push you to see it as the chance of a lifetime when it’s not.

Second, avoid are pressure traps.
- The support trap: it tends to increase performers self-consciousness, which can disrupt the automatic thinking that they’ve been practicing for

- The incentive trap: it causes the person to shift his focus from the task to the consequence of failing and that’s why incentives are usually a bad motivation

- The competition trap: not all competitions are bad, as it can help increase motivation, force people to adapt and get better over time. But framing our mindset to win-at-all-cost is can push us to reach the point of aggression and act unethically

The 5 tips that can help us navigate those traps and prevent magnification.

Tip 1: Build confidence
Confidence is a pillar to our personality and affects all aspect of our life. We have to recognize that today is a new day, and this is a new opportunity. We can recall ourselves performing at our best and visualize ourselves doing it over and over again. And foremost, remember to talk to yourself in a positive way to reduce fear and anxiety.

Tip 2: Focus on what you can control
There is only so much we can control, that’s why we should focus most our energy on practice, and concentrate on nailing the mechanics of the performance.

Tip 3: Create a pre-routine
A pre-routine is not just applicable in sport; you can prepare one for an exam or an interview as well. It can help distracts us just enough before the performance to prevent overanalyzing the situation
To create your own pre-routine, think about something short, it should include visualization, some ballistic movement and focus on breathing while listening to your favorite music

Tip 4: Enjoy the moment
Clear your head; what was or should’ve been done is done. So, embrace the pressure and enjoy it by tuning into your senses and ask yourself: “What does my breath feel like?”, “What do I see right now?”, “What do I hear right now?”

Tip 5: Slow down
In a high-pressure moment, our thinking tends to speed up and by slowing down our thoughts and challenges the validity of how we talk to ourselves we often realize that our though are distorted. And if we can, a great way to change the optic of any situation is to take a little break and go for a walk. For important decision don’t be afraid to apply the 24 hours rule to sleep on it.

Facebook Link:
facebook.com/LonelyBookaneer/

Twitter Link:
twitter.com/LonelyBookaneer