Saying “I’m nervous” out loud often takes a little of the nervous out of it.

Nerves get bigger in the dark. Holding them in takes effort, and part of what makes them heavy is the second job of looking fine while you feel them. Naming the feeling out loud splits that load, so now it is just nervousness and not nervousness plus a performance. The feeling does not vanish, but it stops running the room from behind a curtain.

Pick the low-stakes version this week and try it. Tell a teammate before a tryout or a friend before you present, in four words, with no explanation. Notice whether the next ten minutes go easier than usual.