Performance Anxiety: Enemy or Ally?

Have you ever felt your heart racing before stepping onto the court? Or your palms sweating at the mere thought of speaking in front of the class or in a meeting? Whether you’re an athlete or an adult with countless responsibilities, the sensation is the same: it’s called performance anxiety.

We often see it as an obstacle, something to eliminate. In reality, performance anxiety is an important signal: it’s telling you that this challenge matters to you. It’s your body preparing to give its best.

A touch of anxiety can be useful: it sharpens your focus, concentration, and readiness to respond. But when it becomes too much, it turns into an enemy that steals clarity, makes your legs tremble, and dims your confidence.

I remember clearly how performance anxiety accompanied my career as a competitive swimmer. Back then, the importance of emotional management in sports wasn’t discussed, and I constantly struggled with the fear of disappointing my coach, of not being as good as the other swimmers. Inevitably, in the most important competitions, I ended up sabotaging my own results.

In sports, performance anxiety often shows up as the fear of making mistakes, of letting down teammates, coaches, or family. In daily life, it’s the same story before an exam, a job interview, or a presentation: behind it lies the fear of not being “good enough.”

Learning to manage anxiety in the pool or on the court also teaches you to handle it in life. Sports become a training ground for living.

Let's look at some simple and effective strategies to deal with anxiety:

Breathe: take three deep breaths, making your exhale slightly longer than your inhale. This sends a calming message to your brain and restores balance in your body.

Change your inner dialogue: replace “I can’t do it” with “I choose to try.” The words you use inside yourself can completely shift your mindset and your results.

Prepare the ground: practice, study, repeat. Familiarity reduces anxiety, because once something feels familiar, fear loses its grip.

Accept mistakes: making mistakes doesn’t mean failing—it means growing. Every success story is built on countless attempts, setbacks, and comebacks.

Stay present: worry less about the outcome and focus more on what you’re doing right now. When your mind stays where your body is, you have a much greater chance of delivering your best performance.

What if performance anxiety isn’t a wall that blocks you, but a springboard that propels you toward what truly matters? Each racing heartbeat is proof that you’re alive, that you care, and that you’re ready to turn the challenge into an experience of joy and satisfaction.

So the question is no longer “How do I get rid of anxiety?” but rather “How can I transform it into pure energy, into a healthy excitement that fuels my results?”

You’ll discover that—on the field and in life—the best performances are born from the joy of being yourself and from the ability to calm your mind while igniting your heart.

(Pic courtesy Nathan Dumlao for Unsplash)