This situation happened at the recent World Karate Championships. Little talented karatist fought her way to the final. It was a contactless demonstration of the kata. Both she and her rival were invited to take up tatami. But she refused, began to fight back and burst into tears. Her crying could be heard throughout the hall, where there were about 5,000 small athletes and their parents. In the end, she did not get on and lost contumacy. The pressure was already too much.

But it doesn't just have to be the case with children and sports -- take a job interview, for example. For an adult, this is a very stressful moment. Just like public speaking. Often, even an experienced manager aged 50+ in front of a large group loses his usual self-confidence and acts like a small schoolboy in front of a blackboard, which is controlled by a lady teacher with a strict eye. Each of us experienced a sleepless night when we were in a difficult life or work situation or a difficult match awaited us the next day. Pressure and the resulting stress is a sign of the times. It's the straitjacket that's throttling our performance. No matter how much preparation and effort we put into it.

It may surprise you, but we are not going to tell you that pressure/stress is bad and you should eliminate it. We will offer you a different strategy. Not fighting it, but on the contrary trying to accept it as part of what I like. Make it fuel for your passion. Positively reframe it. When we were kids, climbing a tree or a steep hill in winter and running down a sled was also a stress -- it was the adrenaline rush that helped us to be alert, that kicked us into action and made the whole experience worth it -- because it was exciting!

However, coping with pressure is very individual and depends on the settings of each of us. We bring you general tips that you can try to better manage the pressure:

1. Shift the focus from the result (which creates concern: what if we lose) towards yourself in the here and now. Use deep inhalation and exhalation, if you are at rest (preparation), or feel the speed of your breathif you're in performance.
2. Separate in your feelings of excitement and fear of failure. Since we were little, we are constantly criticized and evaluated by someone, and we perceive it as our own inadequacy. The voice of criticism weakens us. Look for passion, your mission, and what you are good at throughout the situation. You can repeat in your spirit the reinforcing phrase: “I am who I am, for a certain reason.”
3. Name your passion and consciously choose to accept the given stressful situation as part of it. It just belongs to it.

Video

Podcasts

Try some of these tips and see what will work for you. We would love for you to share with us what worked and write to us Also, what didn't work for you.

‍