Module 5 · Stress & emotional regulation · Moderate evidence

Doing well under pressure

Exams, interviews, deadlines: why pressure helps up to a point, and how to stay on the right side of it.

7 min read · Level: Practising · Free — no account needed to read

The idea

A certain amount of pressure helps. Before an exam, a match or an interview, a racing heart and sharp focus are the body getting ready to perform. Too much pressure, though, tips into anxiety: the mind blanks, hands shake, and thoughts turn to what might go wrong.

People perform better under pressure when they prepare in conditions a little like the real thing, when they have a short routine for the moment itself — a breath, a posture, a first step they know by heart — and when they focus on what they can control rather than on the result.

How you read the feeling matters too. Some research suggests that seeing a racing heart as the body gearing up, rather than as a sign that disaster is coming, can help people use that energy. It will not remove nerves, and it is not meant to.

Why it works

Many important moments in life happen under pressure. Knowing how to prepare and what to do in the moment gives your ability a fair chance to show.

A real example

The situation

Jamal freezes in job interviews even though he knows his field well. His mind goes blank at the first question.

What happened

He practises answering questions out loud with a friend playing the interviewer, and builds a short routine: feet flat, one slow breath, then “Let me think for a second” before answering. At his next interview he still feels nervous, but the blank does not come.

The takeaway

Practising in realistic conditions and having a routine for the moment kept pressure on the helpful side.

Use this when you are…

• you have an exam, interview, presentation or competition coming up
• nerves make you perform worse than you know you can
• your mind goes blank at important moments

Common mistakes

• Only practising in comfortable conditions. Practise a little like the real thing.
• Trying to feel no nerves at all. Some nerves are normal and even useful.
• Focusing on the result. Attention on the next step you control usually helps more.

What the evidence says

Moderate evidence: Several studies support it, but the effects are smaller, the studies are fewer or less rigorous, or results vary between groups.

Research in sport and performance psychology supports realistic practice and pre-performance routines, and some studies support reappraising arousal. Results vary, and severe performance anxiety may need specific help.

Where this comes from: American Psychological Association (APA); Stress physiology research; Self-efficacy research.

Fields that study this: Clinical psychology, Behavioural science.

Try it now: Build your moment routine

1. Pick an upcoming moment of pressure.
2. Write a three-part routine: a posture, one slow breath, and your first sentence or action.
3. Practise it once today in conditions a little like the real thing.

Practise with a guided technique

• Box breathing — (2–4 min · Practical evidence)
• If–then plan — (2 min · Strong evidence)
• Slow breathing — (2–5 min · Moderate evidence)

Questions to think about

• What usually happens to you at the moment of pressure?
• What part of the moment is within your control?

Try this today

Practise your moment routine once today, out loud, as if the real thing were happening.

Afterwards, ask yourself

How did practising the routine change how the moment felt?