Recently, while navigating on a time-speed-distance rally, under a high-pressure situation, I totally choked: could not think, could barely run the rally computer that I've been using for five years now, and couldn't do even the simplest math in my head (seriously, I don't think I could add 5 and 7).
What are some strategies for tolerating and performing under situational stress, or should I take up knitting? I think that, if I were in the military trying out for an elite team, I'd be the first to flunk out...
I believe what you need is referred to as a "snort of courage".
Alex, I'll take "man the berkeley up and quit being a Bob Costas" for $200 
Take a deep breath and slowly let it out. Then reassess the situation and get back to work.
I have observed much less "red mist" when AutoXing after doing a lot of online racing (GT5). When I first started doing the online racing, I would get a lot more nervous then I would expect. After a while that faded, and seems to have transferred to real driving.
aircooled wrote:
I have observed much less "red mist" when AutoXing after doing a lot of online racing (GT5). When I first started doing the online racing, I would get a lot more nervous then I would expect. After a while that faded, and seems to have transferred to real driving.
This.
After hillclimbing, autocrossing barely gets my heart moving, which has in turn made me faster. The trick to dealing better with certain stresses is to practice dealing with them - you can't expect to do something once in a while and not have it still get you going.
Think about baseball? Or: What GPS said.
Practice practice practice. First person shooting games have been scientifically proven to increase reaction time and promote calmness under high stress scenarios. CoD is a cheap and easy way to deal with stress.
PHeller
UltraDork
10/25/12 9:10 a.m.
Journal. Your emotions and your ability to process information are intrinsically connected. Under pressure, your brain is trying to use emotions to tell you how best to deal with the stress, and it affects your ability to adequately process the situation at hand.
By "wearing out" your emotions prior to stressful situations, your limit this "talking" between different parts of the brain, allowing it focus on the processing, and less on the emotions.
I learned this on last nights "Nova Science Now".
oldtin
SuperDork
10/25/12 9:27 a.m.
Prep, practice and yeah the video games help. Elite military drill until things are down to muscle memory.
RossD
UberDork
10/25/12 9:30 a.m.
Tom Suddard wrote:
Practice practice practice. First person shooting games have been scientifically proven to increase reaction time and promote calmness under high stress scenarios. CoD is a cheap and easy way to deal with stress.
This is exactly what I was thinking. Even racing games, like someone else said, will help.
Make sure you get plenty of rest leading up to an event. Especially if you are the type to lose sleep the night before.
Being well rested and well nourished make a huge improvement.
Video games can be good for some.....but some just don't get their juices flowing unless there is something on the line. Find games that are multiplayer, so the competition ratches up the stress.
Any team sports you enjoy? Play them. Nothing increases situational awareness like another human trying to cream you while playing hockey/lacrosse/rugby/boxing/football.
As said above, practice. When it is second nature, it will get easier.
Remember to have fun.
I got to tell you what, I sat in the silly seat for the first time in a rally sprint this summer, with the driver being someone I never met. Holy cow that was fun, but a complete stress sandwich. The driver had a good attitude, which helped. I actually ripped the pages out the stage notes by mistake on stage. It's kind of important to keep those straight.
Brain cramps happen. if you can't add under stress, and rules allow it, bring a calculator.
Do what you can to prepare and simplify the task. Stay organized. Don't let the driver stress you.
I started work on a bachelor's degree at 16 years old, nothing's felt too stressful after that.
aircooled wrote:
I have observed much less "red mist" when AutoXing after doing a lot of online racing (GT5). When I first started doing the online racing, I would get a lot more nervous then I would expect. After a while that faded, and seems to have transferred to real driving.
All GT5 has taught me is that i should probably never bother with w2w racing, and instead should concentrate on Time Trials since it seems i never have a problem qualifying quite fast with no practice, but always seem to finish dead last in the actual race.
I personally tend to make myself look busier than I am to impress people and explain why I'm failing. The truth I've learned is to look calm as if its all going to be handled without issue.
In life I have learned to analyze these things: your skill level, your goals, and (the big one), your desired skill level. That last one is very different from your goals.
If your goal is to win races, you will place abnormal stress on yourself if you don't succeed. If you focus on your desired skill, you will rise to the task.
If I said to myself, "my goal is to be a fashion model" I would consistently consider myself a failure. If I instead focus on "I want to shape my body to look like a fashion model" I have a process and can recognize each step toward improvement.
Focus on improvement, not the goal. Once you recognize the improvement in yourself, the goal becomes irrelevant. Before long you'll realize that your skill level is within reach of your goals and it becomes much more attainable.
curtis73 wrote:
The truth I've learned is to look calm as if its all going to be handled without issue.
This is sort of correct. I'm going to change my answer, but it still means the same thing (man up).
IMO, the ACTUAL idea is WHAT IS, IS. As in, you must approach a situation knowing you are going to do your best and there is nothing, NOTHING else that can change the situation. And sometimes, your best is NOT good enough. That's called failure. It's life. It's racing.
I'm a high stress person. Very tightly wound. Nobody knows this. As it would get in the way of me achieving goals. When the pressure mounts, the only way is to keep going. That is the part about looking calm.
when the roof collapses, and it will, it will all be irrelevant. Burn all the oxygen you can while your waiting
Don't stay in any level of comfort zone too long, continuously raise the bar.
