Coaching practices for There's a Big Thing Coming Up the Talk the Exam the Match and Just Picturing Myself Up There Spikes My Whole Body with Dread So I'm Getting Wound Up Over a Moment That Hasn't Even Happened Yet
Describe almost anything you are working through and IX Coach finds the practices whose real-world fit is closest. For There's a Big Thing Coming Up the Talk the Exam the Match and Just Picturing Myself Up There Spikes My Whole Body with Dread So I'm Getting Wound Up Over a Moment That Hasn't Even Happened Yet, these are the strongest matches in the current practice library.
Does this sound like the set of challenges you might be facing?
- There’s a big thing coming up
- I can feel something hard coming but I keep it deliberately fuzzy in my mind because looking straight at it is uncomfortable
- There’s a high-stakes thing coming
- It’s match point, the moment it matters most, and that’s exactly when my head floods with "don’t blow this"
- Right before the test or the big moment, my head is so jammed with what-ifs and dread that there’s no room left to actually think
Practices that may help
- Apply EFT to specific performance anxiety triggers
EFT has the strongest self-guided evidence for test anxiety, public speaking, and sports performance stress.
EFT Tapping: What It Is, How to Do It, and What the Evidence Shows - Describe the difficult situation specifically and realistically
Spell out the scenario you are anticipating — who, what, when — without minimizing or catastrophizing.
Cope Ahead: DBT’s Method for Preparing for Difficult Situations - Mental rehearsal of outcomes
Vividly rehearse the result and the process, with emotion, before you act.
Tony Robbins’ Core Practices - Switch to process-only focus when competition pressure peaks
When the outcome feels most at stake, deliberately redirect attention to the one next process action.
Process Goals, Made Practical - Write about your worries before a high-stakes performance
Offload performance anxiety by writing it out in full immediately before the event.
Choking Under Pressure, Made Practical - Reframe threat as challenge
Interpret a stressful situation as a challenge to meet, not a threat to survive.
Cognitive Reappraisal vs. Suppression, Made Practical - Use mastery imagery to build confidence before high-stakes performances
Replay previous best performances in imagery before high-pressure situations.
Mental Rehearsal and Imagery, Made Practical - Use reflective simulation to convert anxiety into planning
Mentally walk through what could go wrong — then convert each potential failure into a specific preparation action.
Defensive Pessimism, Made Practical - Reappraise anxiety as excitement before high-stakes performance
Tell yourself "I’m excited" rather than "I’m nervous" — the physiology is the same, the performance effect is not.
Choking Under Pressure, Made Practical - Include a brief process imagery step in your routine
Mentally rehearse the execution process — not the outcome — as part of your preparation sequence.
Pre-Performance Routines, Made Practical
Related concerns
- Mental Rehearsal Anxiety
Spell out the scenario you are anticipating — who, what, when — without minimizing or catastrophizing.
Describe the difficult situation specifically and realistically
- When Choking Under Pressure Expressive Writing Pre Competition
Offload performance anxiety by writing it out in full immediately before the event.
Write about your worries before a high-stakes performance
- When Mental Rehearsal Imagery Imagery For Confidence
Replay previous best performances in imagery before high-pressure situations.
Use mastery imagery to build confidence before high-stakes performances
- Anxiety Into Preparation
Mentally walk through what could go wrong — then convert each potential failure into a specific preparation action.
Use reflective simulation to convert anxiety into planning
- Mental Rehearsal
Build auditory, tactile, and proprioceptive detail into your imagery — not just what you see.
Add sensory channels beyond vision
- Mental Rehearsal And Imagery During A Big Change
Walk through the difficult situation in your mind — including the hard moments — and watch yourself cope.
Rehearse the full scenario in vivid mental imagery
Describe your situation in your own words to search the complete practice library.