Banish performance anxiety with these simple tricks

Whether you’re on the Olympic track or trying to nail a PB in a local marathon, the pressure to perform can feel suffocating. Yet some elite runners have found a way to navigate the storm with calm and poise. Their secret? Perspective.

Performance coach and author Steve Magness has a few suggestions for those of us who struggle with performance anxiety. He suggests using a self-check-in when that start line has become stressful. “Perspective isn’t about downplaying the significance of the event, it’s about reframing it to its proper level,” he explains on his website. Here’s what to consider when those race-day fears feel ominous.

What’s the worst that could happen?

When the weight of expectation bears down, it’s easy to catastrophize the outcome. Pause for a moment and ask yourself: what’s truly the worst that could happen? Magness mentions former Olympic 800-metre runner Phoebe Wright, who faced this question head-on when narrowly missing out on Olympic qualification. Wright has a mantra—“It’s not life or death; it’s track and field.” Setbacks are seldom as dire as they seem in the moment.

We need to learn how to fail.

When we avoid failure, we inadvertently turn up the sensitivity to our threat alarm. Seeing it as "I am a failure."

When we embrace failure taking appropriate risks, we turn down the alarm: moving failure from an existential threat to information

— Steve Magness (@stevemagness) March 16, 2024

How many people truly care about your performance?

In the sea of spectators and critics, it’s easy to inflate the importance of your performance. But how many people genuinely hold your success or failure under a microscope? Magness suggests reminding yourself of the limited scope of those truly invested in your performance.

“It’s not to say that what you are doing isn’t important or has no value,” says Magness. “It’s just a gentle reminder of that age-old wisdom not to sweat the small stuff.”

Try thinking in the third person

“Whenever we face a stressful situation, we tend to overestimate its importance,” says Magness. Enter self-distancing, a powerful strategy to help us detach from the emotional whirlwind and gain fresh perspective. “In this strategy, we think in third-person, examining our situation or issue as if it was a friend going through it,” he says. By adopting this viewpoint, we create a buffer between ourselves and our emotions, allowing for a clearer, more objective assessment.

Performance anxiety, while challenging, doesn’t have to be a barrier to your running success. By embracing a shift in perspective you can reclaim control over your mindset and performance. Remember, it’s not about downplaying the significance of the moment, but rather reframing it.