The morning of my first marathon, my entire body was buzzing with excitement—and extreme nervousness. As I waited with the rest of my corral on Staten Island in New York, I carefully pinned and repinned my bib number, and tied and retied my shoelaces to fill the seemingly endless gap of time. I ended up tying my shoelaces so tight I wound up with friction blisters on the arches of both feet, which got increasingly painful with each mile. Had I known how to calm my nerves, I would have spared myself a lot of mental and physical strain.

So before a big moment—whether it be a fitness competition, a big presentation, or another nail-biting moment—how can you calm your nervous energy or sports performance anxiety?  

To find out, we spoke with Daya Grant, PhD, a certified mental performance consultant, neuroscientist, and athlete who’s spent the past 20 years studying the brain and its relation to athletic performance. We also caught up with Jeffrey McEachern, a Peloton instructor, endurance runner, and certified running coach, just before he ran the 2025 Tokyo Marathon—his sixth and final Abbott World Marathon Majors star. (Safe to say he’s had his fair share of nerve-wracking pre-marathon moments!) 

Read on to learn more about how nervousness can physically and psychologically impact your performance, and for Grant’s and Jeffrey’s expert recommendations for completing an anxiety-inducing task while also enjoying the journey.

How Your Body and Brain React When You Get Nervous

When those nerves kick in, they trigger your sympathetic nervous system, sending you into fight, flight, or freeze mode, Grant says.

“Nervousness begins in the brain and includes somatic (occurring in our body) and cognitive (occurring in our mind) elements,” she explains. “When we’re nervous, our sympathetic nervous system is activated, and this prepares us to deal with the perceived threat.”

Some physiological symptoms might include an increased heart rate, rapid breathing, sweating, the feeling of “butterflies” or nausea, muscle tension, or shaking. Grant says these may also come with negative or fearful thoughts, as well as narrow attention or difficulty concentrating.

When you’re gearing up for a race or competition, these nerves could indicate that an athlete is experiencing sports performance anxiety. Grant defines this as “a psychological state caused by the perceived stress of performing under pressure.”

“The intensity may differ,” she says. “Typically, the nerves experienced before competition (pre-competition anxiety) are more intense and dissipate during or after competition. General nervousness tends to be unproductive, whereas pre-competition anxiety can—when managed correctly—improve focus, increase power, and boost endurance.”

Just like with general nervousness, classic symptoms of sports performance anxiety include physiological symptoms such as tense muscles, shallow breathing, or a racing heart, plus psychological symptoms, including self-doubt, fears, or racing thoughts.

How to Calm Nerves

So how can you overcome your nerves or fears? Grant and Jeffrey share their top tips for getting through anything from a high-pressure interview to your next marathon.

1. Do Some Breathwork

“Take a long, slow inhale through your nose, then exhale through your nose,” Grant says. “This simple yet effective practice can serve as a reset, helping your thoughts slow down and your body relax. It brings you into the present moment, which is an antidote to worrying about the future.” 

You can also try 4-7-8 breathing, which involves inhaling for four counts, holding for seven counts, and exhaling for eight counts. Other types of breathwork, such as box breathing, ujjayi breathing, or alternate nostril breathing (all of which you can practice on the Peloton App) may also help calm nerves.

2. Try Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Through a technique called progressive muscle relaxation, you can use your breath and muscles to help you feel more at ease. Inhale slowly while gradually tensing your major muscle groups, hold for a couple counts, and then double exhale (short, followed by a long exhale) and release the muscle tension, Grant says.

3. Laugh 

Grant says joking with a teammate or queuing up a funny video on YouTube can induce laughter, which will help reduce feelings of nervousness and put you at ease.

4. Be Present

When you’re more present, you’re better able to regulate emotions and root yourself in the here and now (rather than completely succumbing to your worries about the future).

So how can you do that when your nerves just won’t quiet down? “Notice your surroundings,” Grant suggests. “See what’s around you. Pay attention to any sounds or smells.” For example, what’s the color of the ground? What do you hear in the background? How does the sunshine or wind feel against your skin? How about the taste of your water or sports drink? Try to notice these things without judgment, Grant says: “Just be with it.”

5. Think About What You’ve Already Overcome

When you need to calm your nerves, Jeffrey recommends reminding yourself of other times you’ve felt anxious or on edge and still accomplished the goal at hand.

“Whether it was that driver’s license exam, passing a test, or going on a first date, you made it through,” he says. “And even with that anxiety, you pushed through or calmed yourself down to a degree that it was doable and you’re on the other side now.”

And, as Jeffrey puts it, ask yourself: “I have proven to myself time and time that I can do it. So why not this time?” 

6. Jot Down Your Fears

A training log, diary, journal, or even a notes app on your phone gives you a personal platform to air your concerns. Try taking advantage of it the next time you’re feeling shaky. 

For example, when Jeffrey deals with pre-race nerves, he likes to make a list of every single positive thing that’s happened during his training. “So whenever I have a moment of doubt, I read that list and remind myself of the great things that I have done,” he says. “Even something like, ‘I slowed down today because I needed to listen to my body’—that is a win, that is a learning, that is something you’ve accomplished on the way to your training.” 

Grant prefers handwriting anything that comes up. “Use this as a way to dump repetitive thoughts (many of which are likely stressors) from your mind,” she says. Sharing your feelings with a friend or mental health professional can also allow you to speak your truth and get it all out beforehand.

7. Create Your Own Mantra

For example, Jeffrey’s mantra is, “What if I can?” which he writes on his left shoe before every race. (Why the left shoe, by the way? “That’s the side of my heart,” he explains. “In a race when your energy starts to drop a little bit, or you’re not feeling the energy, do it with your heart.”)

Consider adopting a mantra that resonates with you that you can fall back on in high-pressure moments.

What About Calming Sports Performance Anxiety, Specifically?

Want to come prepared with strategies to quiet your doubts before your next race, game, or other sports competition? Below, Grant and Jeffrey share additional steps that athletes can take for their next major event.

1. Create a Pre-Competition Routine

Establishing a consistent pre-competition routine can get your mind in the zone. “This can help you focus on what you have control over and let go of the rest,” Grant says. 

That might be listening to a pump-up song you listen to right before the big moment or saying a few positive affirmations in the mirror, but this routine can also extend to the days leading up to your event. In fact, Jeffrey says the night before a race, he has a ritual: “I will put on a beauty mask and make sure I have 10 minutes to myself. I can put on my favorite song or something that calms me.”

2. Visualize Your Performance

“Practice mental imagery,” Grant suggests. “In your mind’s eye, see yourself performing well, powering through challenging moments, and letting go of mistakes. Connect with how you feel throughout your performance. This helps prime the mind to perform.” 

Jeffrey says this is a crucial step in his race-prep routine too. “I see and feel myself getting up, putting my race outfit on, making sure I’m there on time, dropping off my bag, going to the start line, warming up, doing all my things, and then really embracing that feeling of, ‘I made it,’” he says. “Whatever happens in between the start and the finish line is the journey of the day.” 

3. Dress for Success

Feeling comfortable and confident is another helpful element of the nerve-battling process, Jeffrey says. “Every superhuman has their outfit,” he says. “What is your outfit? Make sure you wear it that day, so when you put it on, you literally feel like nothing can stop you.”

4. Trust Your Training

Jeffrey says he takes notes from Beyoncé, who has previously said that she prioritizes rehearsing over and over again to fully prepare for the real show. “I want to take these training runs, I want to practice, I want to rehearse so that on the day of the race, I can just enjoy and trust the training and trust the repetition that I have done,” he says.

5. Remember Timing Isn’t Everything

Time-specific competitions, like running a race, can lead athletes to focus too much on the clock.

“Somebody once said to me, ‘Nobody cares about your time as much as you do,’” Jeffrey says. “And that really changed my whole view on running—and in life. Nobody cares as much as you do, which is beautiful, because you can just control it for yourself. Why are you stressing or pushing yourself to this level of anxiety? What are your expectations? And who has put those expectations on you? Is it yourself? If so, why? And if it’s somebody else, that is their expectation—not yours.”

Can You Use Your Nerves as an Advantage?

You may (understandably) want to know how to calm nerves as quickly as possible—but you can also use your nerves as a secret weapon.

It’s all about reframing your energy. For this mental rebrand, try to view your nervousness as excitement. “This can make reaction time quicker, improve attentional control, and keep your energy high without pushing into panic,” Grant says. “It can help to say, ‘I’m excited and my body is preparing me to succeed.’”

In fact, this reframing could explain how elite athletes are capable of competing at such a high level.

“Elite athletes experience nerves just like everyone else,” Grant says. “What sets successful athletes apart is how they perceive their nerves. If they see it as fuel to power their performance, they’ll perform much better than if they view their nerves as an inhibitor to their performance.”

Jeffrey approaches pre-race jitters by reinforcing the idea that he gets to run a marathon. “There’s millions of people in the world that wish that they could train for and run a race,” he says. “And I remind myself of that power that I have. … I use those butterflies in my stomach as a sign to remind myself, ‘I got this.’ This is my body telling me we are excited for this, not, ‘Don’t do it.’”