From Panic to Presence: The Neuroscience of Staying Calm
When I used to battle in the beatbox world, I would put so much pressure on myself to win. Performances that once felt effortless started to fall apart. My timing was off, my voice felt weak, and the harder I tried to control it, the worse it got. Right before stepping on stage, my heart would pound so loudly I could barely hear my own thoughts. What confused me most was that it only happened during battles.
In concerts or theatrical shows, I felt alive — confident, connected, free. But on the battle stage, it was different. The story in my head had changed. In one setting, I was creating; in the other, I was proving. And that story — “Don’t mess this up, everyone’s watching” — was what froze me.
Eventually, even practicing started to feel heavy. The joy was gone. I tried everything: breathing exercises, meditations, positive self-talk… nothing worked. Then one day, a friend said something that changed everything. “Kaila, what if that pressure you feel isn’t fear — it’s excitement? What if it’s just your body reminding you that this matters? That reframe cracked everything open.
The same heartbeat that used to make me panic suddenly felt like momentum. The tightness in my chest became energy. The butterflies became fuel. I realized that nerves and excitement feel almost identical — the only difference is the story you tell yourself about what they mean. Now, when I step on stage and feel that rush, I smile and think, “Oh, this is going to be fun.”
That shift pulled me out of analysis paralysis and back into flow. Because nerves aren’t the problem — they’re proof that you care. The moment I stopped labeling the rush in my body as fear and started calling it fuel, everything changed. That shift didn’t make the pressure disappear — it made me present. And when the lights came up, I wasn’t fighting my nerves anymore. I was riding them.
That moment taught me something I now share with every team I work with: pressure and presence are two sides of the same coin. The trick is learning how to flip it.
What’s Actually Happening in the Brain
When you feel stressed, your brain fires up the amygdala — your built-in alarm system. It’s the ancient part of the brain responsible for survival instincts: fight, flight, or freeze. It’s fantastic when you’re in real danger (say, a bear running at you). But the same system activates when your boss asks a hard question in front of the team, or when you’re about to pitch your biggest client.
Here’s the catch:
Your brain can’t tell the difference between physical threat and psychological pressure. Both trigger the same flood of cortisol (the stress hormone) and adrenaline, pushing your body into a state of high alert. Your heart rate spikes, your breathing shortens, and your focus narrows. That tunnel vision can be helpful in short bursts — but when the alarm stays on too long, it shuts down the prefrontal cortex, the part of your brain responsible for logic, empathy, and creativity.
That’s why, under pressure, people often:
Stop listening
Snap at teammates
Forget their words mid-sentence
Or freeze altogether
The good news? You’re not stuck with that wiring. The same neuroplasticity that builds habits can rewire your stress response. When you consciously reframe stress as activation energy instead of danger, your prefrontal cortex comes back online. You regain access to reasoning, emotional regulation, and creativity. This is the difference between panic and presence.
You can’t eliminate stress — and you don’t need to. The goal isn’t to silence your alarm system; it’s to train it to ring at the right volume. That’s the moment you shift from pressure to presence — and from reactive leader to responsive one.
The Research:
Researchers Jeremy Jamieson, Matthew Nock, and Wendy Mendes at Harvard University set out to test a simple but powerful idea: Can the way we think about stress change how our body experiences it? In their 2012 study, participants were placed in one of life’s most stressful scenarios — giving an impromptu speech and performing mental math in front of unsmiling evaluators, all while being recorded. Beforehand, some participants were taught to reframe their stress: to see a racing heart and sweaty palms not as signs of panic, but as energy and preparation — the body gearing up to perform. Others received no such instruction.
What did they find?
That single shift in mindset changed both the body and the brain.
Participants who reframed their stress response showed a healthier cardiovascular profile:
Their hearts pumped blood more efficiently (higher cardiac output).
Their blood vessels stayed more open and relaxed (lower vascular resistance).
Their attention stayed clearer — less distracted by negative or threat-related cues.
Those who didn’t reframe their stress showed the opposite: constricted vessels, reduced efficiency, and more focus on perceived threats.
Why this matters:
Your mindset literally shapes your physiology. When you interpret stress as fuel instead of fear, your body shifts from threat mode (tense, defensive, overwhelmed) to challenge mode (focused, energized, ready).
In leadership and performance, this means you can train your stress response to work for you, not against you. Pressure doesn’t have to shut you down — it can sharpen you, if you choose to see it that way.
Top 5 Takeaways to Shift from Pressure to Presence
Label the Feeling — Don’t Fight It. Saying “I’m feeling pressure” activates your rational brain and quiets emotional reactivity. Awareness comes before control.
Rename the Sensation. “I’m not nervous — I’m excited.” Same physical reaction, completely different mindset. This small reframe changes your performance chemistry.
Move the Energy. Stress is physical — don’t trap it in your body. Shake your hands, stretch your shoulders, or take a quick walk before stepping into a big moment.
Rewrite the Story. Instead of “This is going wrong,” try “This is my moment to adapt.” A one-sentence reframe can flip panic into possibility.
Create a Pre-Game Ritual. Performers warm up before they perform. Leaders should, too. A short ritual, music, breathing, power pose, and mantra teach your body that you’re stepping into presence, not pressure.
Ready to Take It to the Next Level?
If you’re ready to help your team handle pressure with confidence, creativity, and calm, it’s time to train presence, not perfection.
In my Improv for Leadership workshop, we use real-time exercises to help teams reframe stress, think on their feet, and lead with trust even when things get messy.