Want To Stay Cool Under Pressure? 4 Ways You Can Be Mentally Tough

I’m not a natural athlete. This sad fact became evident at a very inconvenient time — my first day of new agent training at the FBI Academy. New agents are tested in physical fitness and required to accumulate certain points in different areas. I landed at the bottom in every category; the pressure to perform was intense because if I didn’t get high enough scores, I’d get kicked out of the Academy.

Everyone experiences stressful events, which trigger a boatload of hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. These hormones can prepare us for action but can also make it difficult for our bodies to calm down.

The stress we feel when under pressure triggers a fight-or-flight-or-freeze response in our limbic brain system. The limbic system controls our emotions; its primary job is to keep us safe. As a result, it often responds with panic and interrupts the thinking brain’s ability to process rational thoughts. When this happens, we lose our cool under pressure because our emotions spiral out of control.

Read more about the limbic brain system here.

We’ve all experienced “freak out” moments when slapped with the uncertainty accompanying a crisis. Fear and anxiety raise their ugly heads. So, how do we keep from snapping in these moments? It’s possible to stay cool…