We’ve all had those moments – your heart’s really racing, you’re starting to get stressed, and you can’t make any decisions because there’s far too much going on all at once. It might be that you’ve got a tight deadline to deal with, or an important meeting, or you’ve got to meet new people. Perhaps it’s just that you’re in a new situation and you don’t know what you’re meant to do – that’s potentially very stressful. Whatever it is, if you’re under pressure, it always makes things harder. 

It’s an unfortunate situation to be in because you’ll know exactly what you’re meant to do, and you might even be prepared for it, but you just can’t break through the stress and confusion of the moment, which leads to problems, especially because you won’t be able to think clearly or stay calm. 

The good news is that staying calm under pressure isn’t something only very special people get to do – once you know how it all works, anyone can do it, so it’s worth learning the skill because then you’ll be able to handle stress so much better. With that in mind, keep reading to learn how to stay calm and think clearly under pressure. 

Breathe Properly

It’s important to start with something that’s perhaps very obvious, but that’s crucial to know all the same. The fact is that when stress hits, we tend to take short, shallow breaths without even realising it – it’s something that’s natural and it’s to keep us in survival mode so you’re ready to run or fight, depending on what the situation calls for. But although that’s handy in one sense, it doesn’t really help when it comes to making good decisions in difficult situations, so it’s not ideal. 

Deep breathing might sound like a cliche, but there is some science behind it that shows it’s a good idea and can really help. When you slow your breathing and then take longer to exhale, you activate something called the parasympathetic nervous system, which is what’s responsible for calming you down – it signals to the brain that things are okay and nothing’s going to hurt you, so you can get back to a calmer state and think more clearly. 

Deep breathing won’t fix everything, but it will definitely help you get into the right place for better decision-making, so it’s the first thing you should try in any stressful situation – you’ll be amazed at how much better you feel once you do. 

Reframe The Situation 

Pressure tends to come from lots of emotions and ‘big’ feelings like being afraid of failure, worrying about what others think, and so on. These are hard things to deal with, and sometimes they’re so big and so much on your mind that making any kind of decision just isn’t possible – you’re basically stopped in your tracks because the potential outcome if you make the wrong choice is so scary. 

However, when you reframe things and instead of seeing pressure as something that happens to you, you see it as something you’ve just got to respond to, you’ll get some control back and that control is what’s going to help you think more clearly and make the right choices so that all those things you were worrying about don’t ever actually happen. 

The fact is you’re not under attack, even if it might seem like that at times – you’re just being challenged, and once you know how to handle challenges better, life becomes a whole lot easier and a whole lot more enjoyable. 

Take A Step Back

Sometimes staying calm is about creating a bit of space – and that space doesn’t always have to be physical (although if it can be, that’s great too). If you can’t actually get away from things, take a moment to imagine that you’re stepping away and looking at things from a distance – what would you say to someone who was in the position you’re seeing yourself in? What advice would you give? 

Whatever it is you’d tell your friend is exactly the kind of advice you need to follow yourself, so it’s important to listen to your instincts when you’re a little bit removed from the situation and then do whatever it is you think someone else should do – because you’re no different. Everything is going to feel so much clearer when you take a beat to zoom out a bit and you’ll see that the little piece of your life that’s under pressure isn’t everything – that can do wonders for keeping your head nice and clear. 

It’s Okay To Be Uncomfortable 

A truth that you’ll need to be aware of is that the pressure you’re feeling probably won’t disappear – there are always going to be moments in life where you feel stressed and have to make quick decisions, and that pressure isn’t going anywhere. However, as unpleasant as that thought might be, the more practice you can get at staying calm, the less of a problem that pressure is going to be – so that’s the way you need to look at things. 

The fact is that everyday life gives you plenty of opportunities to practice with how to deal with pressure – you’ll have to have difficult conversations, you’ll be running late sometimes, you’ll need to help someone in a crisis, and so on. These – and plenty of others – are all chances for you to practice staying calm in difficult situations, so it’s better to take the opportunity and do as much as you can with it. That can make the pressure you’re feeling feel worthwhile, at least a little. Remember that it’s not about not feeling the pressure – you’re always going to feel it – but instead it’s about noticing it and deciding not to let it take over because you’ve got the skills and tools to keep it at bay. That’s the best way to deal with things. 

Let Your Brain Play A Bit 

Oddly enough, one of the best ways to build up some resilience when you’re under pressure is by stepping away from that pressure and doing something else. If you’re able to give your mind something else to focus on, something that’s light, fun, and totally different from whatever it is you have to deal with, you’ll be able to relax a little and reset your brain so you can think a bit more clearly – and if you can do all that on a regular basis, you’ll actually be able to train your brain so that stress and pressure aren’t so terrifying. 

That’s part of why playing games can be so surprisingly helpful because when you play a game that involves a bit of strategy and decision-making, you can practice staying calm and thinking ahead without the real world problems and consequences that can be such an issue. A good example is fun online poker where you don’t bet any money but just play the game in a fun, non-pressured way. When you play poker like this, you’ve got to be focused and pay attention, you’ve got to work out when to act (and when not to), and ultimately you’ve got to stay calm under pressure – but you’ll be having fun while it happens. When you get into other situations in real life, all those lessons can be really useful, and even if the consequences are a bit more serious, the skills you’ve got can all be put in place to make things less of a problem. 

Control What You Can

One of the fastest ways to feel overwhelmed is to focus on everything that’s totally outside your control, and when you’re under pressure, those are the things you’ll see more than anything else – you’ll be thinking about what the outcome could be and all the ways it might go wrong, but that’s the worst way to look at whatever situation you’re in. Real clarity and calmness is going to come from changing your focus so you’re thinking about the things you can do right now to make the situation better. 

And even if it might seem like a bad situation at first, the fact is there are always things you can do – even if it’s just to take a step back and breathe, for example. One thing is enough because it shows you that you’re in control and that you can deal with things, even if it’s tricky or scary. And once you’ve done one thing, you can do the next thing, and the next, and the next, working up to the more challenging actions you’ve got to take. 

Talk It Through 

Keeping everything inside just means that the pressure you’re feeling is going to build up and up and make you feel worse rather than better. And the longer you try to power through alone, the worse it’s going to feel. However, talking it through, even if it’s just to a friend or someone random online in a forum, can make a huge difference. 

We’re not saying you have to vent all the time or get stressed recounting what happened, what we’re saying is that you need to find someone you trust who you can tell you’re feeling under pressure and stressed and then go through whatever it is that’s upsetting you. Half the time, you’ll realise things are less of a problem and far less overwhelming once someone else knows what’s wrong.