How To Have Ice In Your Veins
3 simple tactics to perform better under pressure
Last week, I was driving to college. Everything was going as usual, up until I notice a police checkpoint a block away from the entrance. They had never stopped me before, but for some reason that day they did. But no biggie, right? If you have your license and all your docs in order, you should be good. Well, I did have the car’s docs, but left my wallet (with my license inside) at home.
After a few simple questions, while I pictured myself in that awful orange suit, the big question came. “Do you have your license with you?”, the officer asked. As soon as I heard it, all scenarios disappeared, and my mind went completely blank. I was unable to open my mouth to say a simple “no”.
Luckily, my dad was in the car with me and was able to answer the question and all further questions. We got away with a warning and my day went as normal. A day later, after discussing the event with a friend, I started to think about pressure and being clutch. Why do some people seem to always thrive under pressure, while others crumble? Am I doomed to be a choker, or can I learn to be clutch?
Society and media have made us think that being clutch is only for some people. When you think of the word “clutch”, most likely athletes will come to mind. You might think of LeBron’s championship winning block to Iguodala in the 2016 finals. Tom Brady coming back from a 25 point deficit against the Falcons to win the Super Bowl in 2017. Or any Dibu Martinez save that helped Argentina win the 2022 World Cup.
Yet, I don’t think being clutch is only for high performance athletes. Unless you’re a full-time couch potato, you’ll face situations in which you’ll want to be clutch. A big test to enter your dream college. An important sale that could get you a raise. Or not going blank when a police officer interrogates you.
If you Google them, you can find tactics to help in the situation you’re in. But, if you’re under pressure, it will be hard to remember them. That’s why, for this article, I wanted to share ones that are simple and can serve you in any situation.
Box Breathing: Lt. Col. Dave Grossman developed Box Breathing. It’s a technique that soldiers use to calm down and focus on high-pressure situations. Here’s how to do it:
Inhale a deep breath for 4 seconds.
Hold the breath in for 4 seconds.
Exhale the breath out for 4 seconds.
Hold the empty breath for 4 seconds.
Repeat until your breathing is under control1.
Practice under pressure. Practice under the same conditions that you’ll face when you have to perform for real. You can’t 100% replicate the stress level of real-world situations in a practice setting. But, training under mild stress can improve a person’s ability to thrive in clutch situations.
If you’re preparing for a test, do your practice exams under the same time limit you’ll have on test day. If possible, practice in the same room in which you’ll be taking the actual test. If you’re preparing for a speech, practice in front of a friend or even a camera. Studies have shown that you can perform better while observed than if you weren't.
Stay Humble: We’ve all seen examples where over-confidence resulted in choking2. Over-confidence can kill your performance because it keeps you from striving to improve. Additionally, you might feel a lot of pressure if you’re thinking too much on the result of the activity. Don't focus on the results, focus on doing your best in the moment and results will follow.
I’m sure that if you apply these 3 tactics whenever you are under pressure, you’ll start noticing ice in your veins.
As a bonus, I’ll share with you this framework from fellow writer, Rick Foerster3:
Prepare → then flow.
Before: prepare with your head. Practice, anticipate challenges, work through different scenarios, ask for advice from others.
During: flow with your body. Don’t think. Don’t try to remember what you prepared. Get into the feelings of the moment. Turn anxious energy into positive fuel to drive your momentum.
If you are overcome by anxiety in the moment, refocus on the breath until you rebalance.
I’ve found that 1 minute does the trick.
We could have 6 Champions Leagues but…
The box breathing was new to me, thanks for sharing! I definitely try to focus on my breath but not in any method like that.
Always situating me to question what I once thought and what I can think from then on, love the use of real life examples too!