Kristen Pierce, Associate Vice President of Integrated Mental Health at the Greater Austin YMCA, led the Performance Under Pressure Workshop on Friday evening.

By Benedicte Djontu
North Central Texas Academy

Yesterday wrapped up day number two of State YAG! After dinner, I noticed an event on the schedule that intrigued me. The event was the Performance Under Pressure sessions. During this session, students learn skills that help them understand how anxiety works, learn breathing and regulation techniques, gain resilience under questioning, and learn to recover after mistakes. 

As I sat through the session, I realized that—yes, I do have that feeling of nervousness right before a presentation. Anxiety unravels in many ways, whether it is a big sign or on small occasions, like for me. But it is real, despite common disputes that it is not a real thing. Awareness needs to be raised on this topic, as anyone who might feel that way will know how to overcome it. That is what Ms. Kristen Pierce taught me yesterday. She disclosed and taught me two methods on how to handle anxiety. Methods that help you to focus on the now, instead of having your brain wander about what could or could not happen. Those two exercises are known as the box breathing technique and the visualization exercises.

Box breathing technique

4-4-4 breathing, commonly known as box breathing, is one of the easier breathing techniques you can practice to help calm anxiety. It’s perfect as a quick fix for reducing stress by distracting your mind and body. 

Steps

  • Inhale for 4 seconds.
  • Hold your breath for 4 seconds.
  • Exhale for 4 seconds.

A few rounds of box breathing should help to keep a raised heart rate down and distract you from the anxiety-inducing situation around you. Sitting down with an extended spine and an open chest is the best way to practice this technique, but it can be done standing up, too.

Visualisation exercises

This technique involves coming up with your own visualization on choice that you find to be relaxing. This exercise helps you to not focus on the negative thoughts that attempt to creep in. For example, visualize a white sandy beach. It is safe and calm with clear blue water, the warmth of the sand on your feet, and the weight of your body sinking into your beach chair. 

It happens to us all that when something doesn’t go right, we immediately go to the worst-case scenario or start beating ourselves up. Those intrusive thoughtsdisrupts your life and become a major source of anxiety. Thankfully, this simple visualization helps stop those unwanted thoughts in their tracks.

One last thing Ms. Kristen taught me was a technique that helps your mind to focus on the present. It is, as I call it, the Use Your Senses technique. If your heart rate goes up because you might be nervous or anxious, it is important to have your mind focused on the present moment. With this technique, you look around you and find things that you see, things that you can hear, things that you can smell, and so on. This will calm you down and have you thinking about something other than those anxious thoughts that seem to creep in.

The goal of the Performance under pressure session is not to eliminate nerves, but to help us young leaders channel them into effective benefits and growth. Make sure to stop by next year for a session with Ms. Kristen! 

Any questions about the topic can be directed to [email protected]