How to calm down before an exam or performance: a 10-minute routine with a timer
Ten minutes before a performance or an exam, do a short routine that never changes: ground yourself, name the nerves as your body getting ready, breathe with a longer out-breath for two minutes, write your worries down for two minutes, pick one cue phrase and run the first 30 seconds in your head. The goal is not to remove the nerves but to stop them getting in the way.
10:00 10 minutes
Step 1 of 8 · 1:00
Ground
Feet on the floor, feel the weight through your heels. Look around and name three things you can see. You are here, not in the catastrophe.
Step 2 of 8 · 0:30
Name the nerves
Tell yourself: “My heart is beating faster because my body is getting ready for something that matters.” Nerves are energy, not a verdict.
Step 3 of 8 · 2:00
Slow the out-breath
In through the nose for 4, out gently for 6. Not deep — quiet. Follow the pacer.
Step 4 of 8 · 2:00
Write the worry down
For two minutes, write freely about what is worrying you. Do not correct or reread it — just get it out of your head.
Step 5 of 8 · 0:30
One cue phrase
Not “I'm great” but a concrete action for the start. Pick one or write your own.
Your cue phrase
Step 6 of 8 · 1:30
Rehearse the first 30 seconds
Close your eyes and run the opening — walking on, the first bar, the first sentence — in as much sensory detail as you can: what you see, hear, how you stand.
Step 7 of 8 · 1:30
Loosen up
Shake out your hands, roll your shoulders, rock from heels to toes a few times. A body that moves braces less.
Step 8 of 8 · 1:00
First step
A few more calm out-breaths. Remember your cue phrase. Take the first step — the one you just rehearsed.
Routine done
The nerves may still be there — that is normal. You have done everything ten minutes allow. Now, the first step.
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What to do now (10 minutes before)
- Choose what is coming up: exam, concert, competition or talk — the cues adapt.
- Press Start and go step by step. You can skip and go back.
- If you have less time, do at least grounding, breathing and the first 30 seconds.
What not to do
- Do not cram the whole material in the last minutes — it feeds the panic.
- Go easy on coffee and energy drinks: extra arousal is the last thing you need now.
- Do not tell yourself “just don't be nervous” — banning nerves makes them louder.
- Do not compare yourself with others in the corridor — stay with your routine.
After the event
- Write down one thing that went well and one you will do differently.
- Do not replay mistakes for hours — give yourself a 10-minute debrief.
- Practise the routine a few more times before the next event; two weeks before, rehearse in conditions close to the real thing.
When to see a professional
- Fear makes you give up exams, the stage, competitions or important conversations.
- The nerves do not let go for weeks and disturb your sleep and appetite.
- You get strong panic surges before events.
- Thoughts of harming yourself — get help today (lines below).
How it works
A pre-performance routine is a short, fixed sequence you do the same way every time. It works less because any single step is magic and more because it is predictable: when everything else is uncertain, the routine is a piece of the familiar you carry with you.
Each step has its own rationale. Seeing arousal as preparation is linked with better performance under pressure. A slow out-breath can lower arousal for a while. Brief writing about test worries helped students in several studies. An instructional cue (“read the whole question first”) helps more than pep talk in tasks that need precision. Mental rehearsal is one of the best-studied techniques in sport.
Adapt the routine to yourself — then stop changing it. It works best if you practise it a few times before the day, so on the day it runs by itself.
Sources
- Jamieson JP, Mendes WB, Nock MK. Improving acute stress responses: the power of reappraisal. Curr Dir Psychol Sci 2013
- Ramirez G, Beilock SL. Writing about testing worries boosts exam performance in the classroom. Science 2011;331:211–213
- Hatzigeorgiadis A et al. Self-talk and sports performance: a meta-analysis. Perspect Psychol Sci 2011
- Simonsmeier BA, Andronie M, Buecker S, Frank C. The effects of imagery interventions in sports: a meta-analysis. Int Rev Sport Exerc Psychol 2021;14(1):186–207
- Fincham GW et al. Effect of breathwork on stress and mental health: a meta-analysis of randomised-controlled trials. Sci Rep 2023