Three Science-Backed Keys to Thriving Under Pressure
Manage Attention, Monitor Progress, Regulate Energy
To thrive under pressure, you must:
Manage attention.
Monitor progress and adjust.
Regulate energy.
When 68 experts1 were interviewed, three critical factors for thriving under pressure emerged:2
Attention: Focus on what matters, overcome distractions to navigate dynamic environments effectively.
Performance Monitoring: Track actions, adapt strategies, and align priorities in real-time.
Energy Management: Stay calm yet alert, managing stress to maintain peak performance.
Common Denominator of High-Pressure Performance
All three of these factors require awareness and self-regulation.
Attention: Awareness of where your attention lies, combined with self-regulation to redirect it, ensures you stay attuned to performance-critical information and overcome distractions.
Performance Monitoring: Awareness helps you detect key cues, while self-regulation allows you to make timely adjustments to stay aligned with your goals.
Energy Management: Awareness of your emotional and physical state, paired with self-regulation, allows you to maintain energy levels to meet the demands of the task.
Tools to Manage Attention & Energy Levels
In high-pressure situations, the most effective approach is to manage either our attention, our body, or ideally both. Here's how:
Manage Attention
Mindfulness is the self-regulation of attention. 3
By actively engaging one or more of your senses, you can ground yourself in the present moment. Here are three effective techniques to center your attention:
1. 5-4-3-2-1
Identify 5 things you can see.
Touch 4 things you can feel.
Listen for 3 things you can hear.
Notice 2 things you can smell.
Focus on 1 thing you can taste.
2. Six Sense Noting:
Label your present-moment experience with one of the following words as it arises:4
Seeing
Hearing
Smelling
Tasting
Touching
Thinking
Six Sense Noting Example
3. Body Scan
Gradually direct your attention through your body from head to toe (or toe to head), noticing sensations in each area.
Body Scan Example
Manage the Body
Belly breathing is the self-regulation of your body.
Breathing at a rate of 4–6.5 breaths per minute activates a calming response, helping to counteract an overactive fight-or-flight state.
While simple in concept, many people need deliberate practice to adjust to a slower breathing pace before using it effectively in high-pressure situations. A breathing pacer can be a valuable tool for guided practice.
You can download free breathing pacers here.
Home Practice Set Up
To effectively practice belly breathing at home, I recommend the following.
Set Up
Place a light object (e.g., a book or small pillow) on your stomach.
Rest your hands on your chest to monitor movement.
Position your legs straight or with your heels tucked toward your butt for comfort.
Breathing Mechanics
Breathe In: Allow the object on your stomach to rise naturally.
Breathe Out: Allow the object on your stomach sink back down.
Breathe in and out through your nose.
Synchronize your inhale and exhale with the breathing pacer.
Training Frequency
Research indicates that practicing for at least 10 minutes a day over a period of four to eight weeks can yield significant physical and mental benefits.5
Consistency is key—this practice not only improves overall health but also builds the habit and skill to use it effectively in high-pressure situations.
Experts were drawn from Defense, Competitive Sport, Civilian High-stakes roles (e.g., first responders, medical, and aviation professionals), and Performance Neuroscience.
Albertella, L., Kirkham, R., Adler, A. B., Crampton, J., Drummond, S. P., Fogarty, G. J., ... & Yücel, M. (2023). Building a transdisciplinary expert consensus on the cognitive drivers of performance under pressure: An international multi-panel Delphi study. Frontiers in psychology, 13, 1017675.
This definition came from Dr. Peter Haberl.
https://www.socialmeditation.guide/basic/basic-noting/six-sense-noting
, X., Yue, Z., Gong, Z., Zhang, H., Duan, N., Shi, Y., Wei, G., & Li, Y. (2017). The Effect of Diaphragmatic Breathing on Attention, Negative Affect and Stress in Healthy Adults. Frontiers in Psychology, 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00874.