Beat performance anxiety with these quick tips

In high school, performance psychologist Cindra Kamphoff ran track and noticed a frustrating pattern: whenever she made the varsity team, she would choke; whenever she ran junior varsity, she posted faster times. The difference wasn't ability — it was pressure. On this episode of Life Kit, host Mariel Segarra talks with Kamphoff, author of The Confidence Habit, about the psychology of performance anxiety and the practical tools that help people manage it, whether they are Olympians, corporate executives, or anyone about to speak their mind or apply for a job.

Two kinds of anxiety, one core problem

Kamphoff distinguishes between two types of performance anxiety. Cognitive anxiety lives in your head — it sounds like automatic negative thoughts: "What if I screw up? What if I don't have what it takes?" Somatic anxiety lives in your body — the nausea, sweating, or racing heart you feel before a big moment. The key is to know where your anxiety is showing up, because different tools address different forms. But the root cause is almost always the same: you are doing something you genuinely care about, and the outcome matters to you. That is why performance anxiety is not limited to elite athletes or public speakers — it happens any time you push past your comfort zone, which is also the only way to grow.

The truth meter: poking holes in your own thoughts