A Top Psychologist's 3 Must-Have Tips To Overcome Performance Anxiety

You've probably heard a million times: Confidence starts from within. If you don't believe in yourself, how can you expect anyone else to follow suit? 

Well, according to top performance psychologist Michael Gervais, Ph.D., author of The First Rule of Mastery: Stop Worrying about What People Think of You, the phrase could not be more scientifically true. The key to overcoming anxiety, he shares on this episode of the mindbodygreen podcast, is to focus on what you can control—yourself! 

Take it from Gervais: "You're not really in the game of becoming your very best without awareness." Everyone from the highest-performing athletes to the greatest public speakers must foster a sense of awareness, he declares. Awareness has even been shown to improve performance in daily tasks1 in research settings. "So ground zero is awareness training," he adds. 

Once you cultivate a greater sense of awareness, it's time to become aware of how you speak to yourself. Do you frequently engage in critical, self-deflating, non-facilitative self-talk? Try to reframe the narrative. 

Now, that doesn't mean you must stand in front of a mirror and repeat affirmations. It's about being aware of your thoughts and how they influence your emotions and behaviors. "Thoughts, feelings, emotions, and behaviors influence performance," says Gervais. So he recommends having an empowering phrase you say to yourself whenever you experience negative thoughts. 

"For me, one of the most dynamic things that I can say to myself is, 'I can do hard things,'" Gervais explains. "Study yourself. Know what statements help back you in high-stress environments. We're leaving it all up to chance if we don't have a sense of how we want to speak to ourselves in those moments." 

Finally, we have breathwork. Your breath is a powerful tool for stress. Something as simple as making your exhale longer than your inhale has been shown to2 send the body into a more parasympathetic state, lowering blood pressure and cortisol levels. 

"Breathing is meant to be able to help you find that ideal state where the porridge isn't too hot, it's not too cold, but it's just right," Gervais says. (Meaning, the stressors don't feel as earth-shattering.) "That activation level inside of you is just right," he adds. 

There are plenty of breathwork exercises you can choose from, but one of our favorites happens to be box breathing—the practice comes from Navy SEAL training and is thought to heighten efficiency, performance, concentration, and stress relief.