Why You Crack Under Pressure – And How to Stop That Happening

Why You Crack Under Pressure – And How to Stop That Happening

You’re in the middle of an important presentation, a high-stakes pitch, or a conversation that could change everything…and your mind goes blank. Your voice shakes. You can almost feel the opportunity slipping through your fingers.

We’ve all been there - that awful moment when we know what to say, but the pressure hijacks our ability to deliver. Cracking under pressure isn’t a personal flaw. It’s a predictable human response, and it can be trained out of you.

Why Pressure Makes You Freeze

When the stakes feel high, your brain doesn’t calmly evaluate your best move. It flips into survival mode. The amygdala, the part of your brain designed to keep you safe, interprets the situation as a threat.

It doesn’t know the difference between a hostile audience and a tiger in the jungle. So, your body floods with adrenaline, your heart rate spikes, and blood flow is redirected away from your brain’s higher reasoning areas to your muscles.

That’s why thinking clearly suddenly feels impossible. This ‘fight, flight, or freeze’ reaction is brilliant if you need to escape danger, but a disaster when you need to think, speak, and perform under pressure.

Your Toolkit for Staying in Control

Doug Strycharczyk’s 4Cs model of Mental Toughness identifies two key qualities that directly help you perform when it matters most: Control and Confidence.

• Control is your ability to manage emotions and stay composed, even when everything’s on the line
• Confidence is your belief in your ability to rise to the challenge, even when the outcome is uncertain

When these two are strong, you’re far less likely to be derailed by stress. When they’re weak, the pressure wins.

Step 1: Control Your Emotional State

Under pressure, emotions can become the enemy, unless you learn to regulate them. The fastest way to take back control is through your body, because your physiology and psychology are tightly linked.

Try this before your next high-stakes moment:

1. Breathe deliberately. Inhale for four counts, hold for four, exhale for six. This lowers your heart rate and signals to your brain, “We’re safe”.
2. Ground yourself physically. Feel your feet on the floor, notice the weight of your body, or press your fingertips together. This keeps you present instead of spiralling into “what ifs.”
3. Name the emotion. Simply saying to yourself, “I’m feeling anxious” reduces the intensity of that feeling. Neuroscientists call this “affect labelling,” and it works.

Step 2: Build Confidence on Purpose

Confidence doesn’t magically appear when you need it. It’s built in advance, like a savings account you can draw on under pressure.

Start building your ‘Confidence Bank’ now:

• Revisit past wins Keep a record of challenges you’ve overcome - big and small. Before a big event, read through them to remind yourself you’ve succeeded under pressure before
• Prepare deeply Nothing beats confidence like knowing you’ve done the work. Rehearse more than you think you need to
• Visualise success Spend 5 minutes each day mentally rehearsing yourself delivering confidently. Your brain starts to treat that image as a memory, making it easier to step into when the real moment comes

Step 3: Shift Your Mindset About Pressure

Pressure itself isn’t the problem - your relationship with it is.

Top performers don’t aim to eliminate pressure. They accept it as a sign they’re doing something important, then reframe it as energy they can use.

Instead of thinking:

“I’m nervous - what if I mess up?”
Try:
“My body is giving me extra energy to perform well. Let’s use it.”

That subtle shift moves you from fear to focus.

Step 4: Practice Under Simulated Pressure

If you only ever rehearse in comfortable conditions, the first time you feel the heat will be in the real thing. Instead, deliberately introduce stress into your practice:

• Present to a small group and ask them to interrupt you with tough questions
• Time yourself and cut the limit in half
• Record yourself and watch it back - most people hate this, which makes it valuable practice

The more often you expose yourself to pressure in training, the less likely it is to overwhelm you in reality.

The Bottom Line

Cracking under pressure isn’t about lack of ability - it’s about lack of preparation for the mental game. By strengthening your Control and Confidence, you can train your brain to stay calm, focused, and clear-thinking, no matter how high the stakes.

I’ve spent my life,  from rally driving to extreme endurance challenges to standing on the biggest stages, learning how to perform when it matters most. The same skills that work on a rally stage or in front of thousands of people will work for you in a boardroom, sales pitch, or make-or-break meeting.

Pressure will always be there. The question is: will it control you, or will you control it?