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

You know that moment. Your heart is racing, your palms are sweating, your mouth is dry. You’ve prepared for weeks, but as you stand up to deliver the presentation, make the sales pitch, or have that tough conversation, your mind goes blank. You freeze.

It’s frustrating, embarrassing, and often career-limiting. But cracking under pressure isn’t a sign that you’re weak. It’s a perfectly natural stress response, and the good news is, you can train yourself to handle it.

Why We Freeze Under Pressure

When the stakes are high, your body flips into survival mode. The brain perceives the situation as a threat and triggers the classic 'fight-flight-freeze' response. Adrenaline floods your system, your breathing shortens, and your ability to think clearly shrinks. Instead of delivering that killer point, you’re battling your own physiology.

This is where Mental Toughness comes in.

AQR International's work on the 4Cs model shows that two key elements  - Control and Confidence  - are critical in these moments. They determine whether you crumble under stress or rise to it.

Control: Managing Yourself Under Pressure

Control is your ability to regulate your emotions and keep your behaviour deliberate, even when your heart is hammering. You can’t always control the circumstances, but you can control your response.

Tip: Before a high-pressure moment, slow your breathing. A simple 4-7-8 pattern (inhale for 4, hold for 7, exhale for 8) calms your nervous system and tells your brain, “I’m safe.” The calmer your physiology, the clearer your thinking.

Over time, practising this emotional regulation rewires how you react. Instead of being hijacked by panic, you stay steady and present.

Confidence: Trusting Yourself to Deliver

Confidence isn’t about arrogance. It’s quiet self-assurance - the belief that “I’ve got this.” And it doesn’t come from wishful thinking. It comes from evidence.

The more you put yourself into challenging situations, the more proof you collect that you can handle them. Each time you keep your composure in a tough moment, you build the foundation of confidence.

Tip: Rehearse under pressure. Don’t just practice your pitch in your kitchen - practice it in front of colleagues, on camera, or even in deliberately noisy environments. Training under stress means when the real moment comes, your brain says, “We’ve been here before, you can do this.”

Small Shifts, Big Results

When you understand what’s happening inside you, you can start to shift it. Pressure doesn’t have to equal panic. With small, consistent practices, you can build a mental toolkit that helps you perform when it matters most.

• Control your physiology → breathe, pause, reset.
• Control your self-talk → replace “I’ll mess this up” with “I can handle this.”
• Build confidence through action → challenge yourself regularly, so the big moments feel familiar.

The Irony of Pressure

The paradox: is that the more you lean into pressure situations, the less threatening they become. What once felt terrifying becomes exhilarating. Instead of fearing the spotlight, you start to thrive in it.

That’s what mental toughness gives you. Not the absence of nerves, but the ability to channel them into focus, clarity, and performance.

So next time the pressure builds, don’t dread it. See it as your chance to prove, to yourself more than anyone else, that you can rise to the occasion.

Because cracking under pressure isn’t inevitable. With the right mindset and tools, it’s entirely preventable.

Penny Mallory is a Mental Toughness expert, and a Keynote Motivational Speaker on Mental Toughness.