Learned Resilience

Study after study has shown that people who function well under stress share several core beliefs:

• see times of change and uncertainty not as dangerous but as exciting opportunities;
• focus on what they can do to improve a stressful situation, rather than growing helpless; and
• maintain a sense of commitment to the world around them, instead of withdrawing.

…

Studies of everyone from classical musicians to competitive swimmers have found no difference at all between elites and novices in the intensity of their pre-performance anxiety; the poised, top-flight performers, however, were far more likely to describe their fear as an aid to success than the non-elites. No matter what skill we’re trying to improve under pressure—working on deadline, public speaking, staying cool on a first date—learning to work with fear instead of against it is a transformative shift.

Tiger Blood:
What it takes to keep cool under pressure.
Taylor Clark in Slate Magazine.