Mental clarity under pressure: lessons from racing
I still remember the moment before the start of my first World Championship victory. Sitting in my kayak, hands resting on the paddle, adrenaline pumping. The weight of expectation pressing down. Years of preparation behind me, and everything coming down to this one race.
In those final seconds, the noise of the crowd, the splash of water, even the magnitude of the moment – all faded. I found a calm, clear focus.
Not because the pressure disappeared, but because I had trained my mind to respond to it.
We often think that clarity comes with hindsight, once the pressure has lifted and we have time to process. But in high performance, clarity needs to happen in the moment. Right when the stakes are highest.
In my racing career, I learned that preparation creates clarity and focus.
It comes from building habits that allow you to focus on what’s within your control. In those high-stakes races, I couldn’t control the competitors next to me, the weather conditions, or the expectations of others. But I could control my breathing. My self-talk. My focus on executing each stroke as well as I possibly could.
This is a lesson I now share with leaders navigating their own high-stakes moments. Whether it’s presenting to a boardroom, making critical decisions, or leading teams through change, pressure is part of the territory. The question is: how do you respond to it?
Mental clarity under pressure doesn’t mean you don’t feel the stress. It means you have the tools to navigate it. Tools like:
Focusing on controllables: What’s within your influence right now?
Grounding in the present moment: Focus on your breath and then focus on one stroke, one decision, one conversation at a time.
Positive self-talk: Reminding yourself that you are prepared, capable, and ready.
Visualise: Picture yourself ‘performing’ with clarity and confidence. Imagine the high stakes scenario going exactly as planned with the positive outcome that you desire.
If your mindset under pressure tells you that everything must be perfect or that you can’t handle the stakes, it’s going to derail your clarity.
But if your mindset is grounded in preparation, in focusing on what you can control, clarity becomes possible even in the most challenging moments.
If you would like to have a chat further, please contact me.
Published: Wednesday 11 June 2025
Written by: Anna Hemmings, MBE, OLY.
