Use these Athlete Tips to Work Through Stress

Sports makes a great metaphor for business and for life. In fact, most of our business clichés come from sports, like “winning” or “it’s down to the wire” or “the ball’s in your court.”

You may never experience the pressure to perform like a pro athlete on Monday Night Football or in the World Series or the World Cup, but some business situations feel that intense. An interview for the job of your dreams. Presenting to the board of directors for the first time. An initial sales call on the biggest prospect your company has ever targeted. Asking for a raise.

Here are some tips from professional athletes on how to manage the stress of do-or-die competition, thanks to a great post by Monica Torres wiring for HuffPost online.

First, working too much on your performance actually hurts more than it helps. Choking is caused by being too focused on every detail; you lose the flow of your natural swing (or presentation style.) Overthinking is the enemy. It’s like counting steps when you’re learning to dance; if you keep repeating “1-2-3, 1-2-3” in your head, you’ll never actually start dancing.

Being focused on the outcome rather than the game is also destructive. As American professional tennis player Danielle Collins told The New York Times about playing the Open: “This is going to sound strange, but you have to play like you don’t care.”

The key to success is practicing hard, working on perfecting your technique and correcting your mistakes on a daily basis. But on game day, you let everything go. Trust that you’ve worked enough to know how to play your best, then relax and put your game – or presentation – on autopilot. Sian Beilock, author of Choke: What the Secrets of the Brain Reveal About Getting It Right When You Have To”, says, “Practicing right up until the last minute or cramming will only create more anxiety and cognitive burden. Instead, a consistent pre-performance routine before high-stakes events can help get you ready to perform at your best when it counts most.” 

Your pre-performance routine could include deep breathing exercises, taking a short walk around the block, listening to soothing sounds or music, or doing some self-coaching. (“You’ve got this. You’re prepared, you’re in the zone, and you’re going to do great.”)

Another tip from the pros: focus on the thrill of winning rather than the fear of losing. Humans are very risk averse; we’re hard wired that way – some of us more than others. If that’s a weakness for you, it may very well affect your performance. Performance coaches who work with athletes who are very risk averse help them face their fear of losing and how scary it is. Once they name it and talk about it, they can put it back in the box and focus on the game.

One last tip from athletes: that terrible feeling in the pit of your stomach? Guess what? You get to name it. Most of us call it fear, but elite athletes call it excitement. The symptoms are the same: chills, hyper-awareness, even a little nausea. When you reframe your feelings, you’re more in control of them. Think about the people who enjoy roller coasters (I am NOT in that elite club.) They PAY for the experience of five minutes of crazy, screaming terror, and call it FUN. Be like the roller coaster nuts. (Yes, I’m talking to you, Stef.)

Performance coach Amanda Hennessy teaches actors and others how to manage performance stress. She says, “To prepare for the unexpected, practice saying ‘Oh good!’ or ‘Great!’ every time you’re facing an obstacle. This will help you get in the habit of rising to the challenge rather than shrinking or freezing up. Then, when it’s your big moment and you’re facing something you weren’t expecting, you’ll think much more clearly and problem-solve with more confidence, instead of being totally thrown off.”

Even if you practice all these tips, you may still be anxious about your big moment. That’s okay. Think of this chance as a sign of how hard you’ve worked and how far you’ve come. Billie Jean King said it best: “Pressure is a privilege.”