Mastering Physical Arousal in High Impact Situations: A Guide to Managing Performance Anxiety

Okay, I’m not talking about that type of arousal!? I’m talking about the sweaty palms, dry mouth, and racing heart when delivering a presentation, interviewing, or stepping into a high stakes meeting or test.

As a psychiatrist and executive coach, I've seen countless professionals experience these "fight-or-flight" sensations, triggered by the body’s natural reaction to perceived stress. While these reactions are universal, they don’t have to control your outcome.?

I want you to understand the basic physiology of what’s going on, so you can channel this physical arousal to work for you, not against you.

The Physiology of Performance Anxiety

Performance anxiety, commonly known as stage fright, is deeply rooted in the body's autonomic nervous system (ANS), which controls involuntary physiological responses. When faced with a potentially stressful situation, the sympathetic branch of the ANS is activated, releasing adrenaline and cortisol. This "fight-or-flight" response is designed to heighten alertness, increase heart rate, and prime muscles for action—evolutionary advantages that were useful for survival but are less helpful when the "threat" is a public speaking engagement rather than a predator.

When our heart rate and respiratory rate escalate, our thinking becomes narrow, our voice may tremble, our mouths get dry, and our hands might shake, all of which can compromise performance and confidence. By learning to recognize and modulate these physical responses, we can reduce performance anxiety and approach high-stakes situations with confidence.

3 Steps to Counteract the Physical Component of Performance Anxiety

Let’s explore three evidence-based techniques that can help us master arousal, manage anxiety, and channel it into improved performance.

1. Regulate Heart Rate Variability (HRV) with Breath Control/Coherent Breathing

Heart rate variability (HRV)—the variation in time between heartbeats—is a powerful biomarker of stress resilience and autonomic balance. Higher HRV generally reflects a more adaptive, flexible nervous system capable of managing stress effectively. Studies indicate that breathing techniques, specifically slow diaphragmatic breathing, can positively influence HRV and activate the parasympathetic branch of the ANS, which counters the effects of the sympathetic response by slowing the heart rate and calming the body?

Try This: Before your next high-impact event, spend five minutes practicing coherent breathing: put really simply, inhale for a count of five and exhale for a count of five. I recommend hopping over to YouTube and looking up Heart Coherence Breathing Exercise to follow along. This technique can shift your ANS into a balanced state, decreasing physiological arousal and helping you approach the situation more calmly.??

Pro tip - try seeing if you can make a little saliva in your mouth after a few minutes. Remember the dry mouth you get when your fight or flight response kicks in?? That’s mediated by the sympathetic nervous system. When you activate the parasympathetic branch through using the breath (and the vagus nerve), it actually helps you salivate!? (I’ll talk more about this in a future post).

2. Reframe Anxiety as Excitement - Cognitive Reappraisal

Research on "anxious reappraisal" shows that viewing arousal as excitement, rather than fear, can lead to improved performance. Both anxiety and excitement are high-arousal emotions, but while anxiety feels negative, excitement is energizing. Reframing the sensations associated with anxiety (such as a racing heart or sweating palms) as signs of readiness can help individuals feel empowered rather than debilitated.

Try This: Before you step onto the stage or into the interview room, tell yourself, "I’m excited for this opportunity" rather than telling yourself “Oh my goodness, I’m so nervous, I’m going to mess up.”? This mental shift can harness the energy of arousal in a productive direction, promoting a sense of enthusiasm rather than dread.? Taking it one step further, allow yourself to believe that the butterflies in your belly are going to actually help you perform better.? After all, the hormones rushing through your body are specifically designed to help you see better, think more quickly, and react more instinctively.? So use it rather than being afraid of it!

Pro tip - did you know that a Harvard study demonstrated that cognitive reappraisal with just one paragraph explaining this phenomenon resulted in over a 60 point increase in GRE scores?

3. Use Sports Psychology - Visualization

Visualization involves mentally rehearsing successful outcomes and has been shown to boost confidence, decrease anxiety, and improve performance.? Just like Olympic athletes who visualize the course repeatedly in their minds, using positive visualization can help prime your brain into bringing forth a more positive outcome.? It’s a scientifically proven technique that has helped athletes outperform their competition, physicians improve accuracy in their surgeries, as well as assist musicians and dancers to perform better.

Try This: Imagine yourself successfully delivering your presentation or confidently answering interview questions. Be specific! What are you wearing?? Are you using a microphone?? Are you sitting or standing? The more your brain imagines itself in the situation, the less uncertainty there is, and the more comfortable you will feel overall.

Pro-tip: Just imagining working out can actually lead to muscle growth.? One study found that “imagined exercise” increased muscle strength by 22%!? Don’t discount visualization - it’s a powerful tool!

Mastering physical arousal during high-stakes situations is within reach - I want you to feel in control, even under the most stressful circumstances, so that you can transform moments of potential anxiety into opportunities for peak performance.

This combination of physiology and psychology offers a powerful toolkit for any executive or professional looking to master the art of presence and optimal performance in high-impact situations.

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