37 Mental Reminders to Calm Your Nerves Before a Stressful Situation
By: Jordan Gross
Tags: Self Improvement, Motivation, Psychology, Inspiration, Mental Health

37 Mental Reminders to Calm Your Nerves Before a Stressful Situation

How you think determines how you act.

Photo by Dustin Belt on Unsplash

Two women sat in their chairs and stared into the empty stadium around them. One was 19, she grew up in Poland, and she had never been in a championship before. The other, a 21-year old American who was playing for her second title.

What could they possibly be thinking about in that moment? What kinds of thoughts, visualizations, affirmations, and strategies were they replaying in their minds before taking the tennis court for the 2020 French Open Women’s Final?

Sports Psychology is becoming more and more important for athletes as the conversation regarding mental health continues to grow. Additionally, mental performance strategists, as well as mental strength coaches are being employed to ensure that no matter how intense the impending challenge, the athlete is prepared for it within their mind.

But it’s not only athletes. How do speakers prepare before getting on stage? How do litigators put their minds at ease before presenting in court? How do nurses and doctors calm their minds before life-threatening surgeries? What do teachers do before spending hours upon hours with children?

I wanted to share an ever-growing list of mental reminders you can deploy before any stressful situation. The list is a combination of research, conversations with others, and my own personal strategies.

1. You are a product of your preparation.

2. You are not your negative thoughts.

3. You have every right to be your positive thoughts.

4. You can only control your own actions.

5. Other people do not ultimately control how you decide to move forward.

6. Talk to yourself how you would a best friend.

7. The journey is more important than the end result.

8. A favorable end result is sweet, especially if you’ve arrived at it the right way.

9. People will still always support you.

10. People will still always love you.

11. Luck is as much part of the outcome as skill.

12. There’s beauty in incremental growth.

13. Failure is only permanent if you choose to stop growing.

14. Inner peace is greater than outer recognition.

15. Nightmares are just dreams you want to end quicker.

16. Fall back on your fundamentals when things are in doubt.

17. Practice never ends.

18. The greatest challenges are those that are uphill.

19. It’s more fun to complete something when it’s difficult.

20. Angry people rarely get what they ultimately want.

21. Mainly because their anger is sparked by something they likely can’t have.

22. Be proud of yourself no matter what happens.

23. Repeat to yourself your favorite qualities about you.

24. Your story is told in hindsight, so don’t react based on haste.

25. Respond intentionally, don’t react impulsively.

26. The severity of the situation is determined by you and you alone.

27. Tell yourself you’re less stressed than you think you are.

28. You ultimately decide how stressful a situation is, not society.

29. There’s a difference between trying and really trying. You know the effort you’re putting in.

30. It will be over.

31. You always have the opportunity to look back and smile, no matter what happens.

32. The last thing you should do before you begin is smile.

33. You’re only really alone if you keep your thoughts to yourself.

34. Push yourself only to what’s physically attainable.

35. Stress compounds when you’re around stressed people.

36. You are not the last thing that you thought.

37. Stress just means it matters.

The next time you dive into that pool of a seemingly stressful situation, have a look at this list. It’ll help clear your mind before the big dance.