3 Ways To Train Your Brain To Perform Better Under Pressure
December 5, 2019Stay in the know with exclusive industry news, click here and subscribe to our eNewsletter today!
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Chances are, there is some situation at work that puts you under pressure. It might be giving a presentation to a client. It might involve a delicate negotiation for a big sale. You might feel it when the deadline for a big report looms.
Whatever it is, this thing makes your stomach clench, your palms sweat, and your brain feel muddled. Suddenly you don’t feel like you’re functioning at your best. What can you do to make yourself better at handling these sorts of high-pressure situations?
You have to start by understanding what the pressure is, at its root. There are two big facets to pressure, and they lead to some predictable consequences. Research from my lab demonstrates that one thing pressure does is to focus you on all the things that could go wrong in the world. Your mindset shifts away from all of the potential good things around you to the problems.
Work by Sian Beilock and her colleagues points out that the desire to perform at a high level has two significant influences on the brain. One is that it limits the amount of information you can hold in mind at one time (reducing what is called working memory), which can limit the complexity of what you can accomplish mentally.