Stay Calm Under Pressure

Your heart starts beating fast. Your hands feel a little shaky. Your brain is going a mile a minute. That is what pressure feels like — and everyone experiences it. The goal is not to never feel pressure, but to learn how to stay calm while it is happening.

What is pressure or stress?

• Pressure is the feeling you get when something feels urgent, difficult, or overwhelming.
• Common triggers: a test, a performance, a conflict, too many tasks at once, or making a mistake in front of others.
• Your body responds with physical signals: fast heartbeat, tight stomach, shallow breathing, shaky hands.

Calm coping strategies

• Breathe slowly — three deep belly breaths slow your heartbeat.
• Count to ten — gives your brain a moment to catch up.
• Positive self-talk — say: "I can handle this. One step at a time."
• Take a short movement break — shake out your hands, roll your shoulders.
• Focus on just the next step — not everything at once, just what comes first.

What does NOT help under pressure

• Panicking and giving up — you lose focus and confidence.
• Telling yourself you are going to fail — negative self-talk makes the pressure worse.
• Trying to rush everything — rushing leads to more mistakes.