4 ways to battle performance anxiety, according to a confidence coach

Don't let negative thoughts or fear mess with your performance. Psychologist Cindra Kamphoff, who helps athletes and business leaders keep their confidence in high-stakes situations, offers anxiety-busting tools from her new book. Anton Vierietin/Getty Images/iStockphoto hide caption

Never miss a story or episode from Life Kit. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get our journalism delivered directly to your inbox.

In 2012, psychologist Cindra Kamphoff was running a marathon. Then at Mile 22, her self-doubt started to kick in. She remembers telling herself, "This is dumb. Why am I doing this?"

But Kamphoff, who works with top athletes on how to overcome performance anxiety — including from the Minnesota Vikings and USA Track & Field — was prepared. She had written positive phrases on her arm that she could read when she needed a boost during the race: "I'm strong, I'm fast, I'm fit, I'm ready."

This is just one of many techniques that Kamphoff shares in The Confidence Habit: 7 Core Practices to Transform Self-Doubt to Self-Belief , published in September. The book offers creative ways to manage fear and negativity — like pretend-flushing your mistakes down the toilet — before, during and after a high-stakes task.

These tools can be applied to any situation, whether it's a race, work presentation or a job interview. The goal is for people to "be their best in the moments that matter most to them," she says.

Kamphoff, who has a PhD in sport and performance psychology, shares four tools you can try today.

Maybe you fumble the ball in a big game or forget the lines in your school play and can't stop thinking about it afterward.