How do you handle nerves before a race, a game or a performance?

The start line, the tunnel before the match, the side of the stage: every one comes with the same set of sensations. Racing heart, dry mouth, a sudden need for the loo, a conviction that you have forgotten everything. Experienced athletes and performers feel this too. The difference is mostly in what they do with it.

Reframe nerves as readiness

The nervous feeling before something important is not a sign that something is wrong. It is a sign that you care. Racing heart, alertness and restlessness feel unpleasant when labelled "nerves", and quite different when labelled "ready".

There is some research behind this. In experiments by Alison Wood Brooks at Harvard Business School, reported by ScienceDaily, people who said "I am excited" before singing karaoke, giving a speech or doing maths problems performed better on average than those who tried to tell themselves to calm down. Her suggestion was that, because nervousness and excitement are both keyed-up states, relabelling one as the other may be easier than trying to switch it off.

You don't have to believe it fully for it to be worth a try. Say it out loud: "I'm excited." See what happens.

Have a routine

Routines turn the strange, special day into something familiar. Build one for the hour before:

• The same warm-up, in the same order.
• The same breakfast, or pre-match snack, that you know sits well.
• A playlist, a particular jacket, a set of stretches.
• Kit laid out the night before, so there's no frantic searching.

The routine gives your attention somewhere to go and tells you, through repetition, that you have done this before.

Use your breath simply

You don't need a complicated technique. A few slow breaths, with the out-breath a little longer than the in-breath, are an easy way to settle your attention and bring you back to the moment. Do it on the start line, at the side of the court, in the wings. If you find a particular pattern helps, use it; if breathing exercises feel fussy, skip them and focus on the routine.

Have a start-line plan

Nerves are worst when your mind has nothing to do but worry. Give it a job: a simple plan for the first few minutes.

• For a race: "Start easy, find a rhythm, check I'm not going off too fast at the first kilometre marker."
• For a game: "First touch simple, talk to my teammates, win the first tackle."
• For a performance: "Feel the floor, find one friendly face, land the first line clearly."

The first few minutes are where nerves are loudest. Once you are into the plan, they usually fade by themselves. We look at keeping a first race in proportion in the first race without obsessing.

Keep it in proportion

A race, game or performance is a chance to enjoy something you have worked on. It is not a verdict on who you are. Whatever happens, there will be coffee afterwards, and another chance.