Hello again and welcome back to the savvy psychologist. I'm Dr Ellen Hendrickson and every

Friday I'll help you meet life's challenges with evidence-based research, a sympathetic ear, and zero

judgment.

Pulling off a great performance under pressure is one of the biggest highs out there.

After all, they say a diamond is just coal that did well under pressure.

Now, the opposite, choking is usually a sports term. It's missing the

extra point after the touchdown, blowing your putt, or watching your free throw

roll around the rim and then sadly drop off.

Entire teams can choke.

For example, the 2004 Yankees, as in,

there's no way the Red Sox will come back to win four in a row. That's impossible. And to be fair, there's also

the 1986 Red Sox, although the beleaguered Bill Buckner was welcomed home to a standing

ovation when he threw out the first pitch at the 2008 home opener.

But choking doesn't just happen to athletes.

Choking happens to school kids with test anxiety, musicians auditioning in front of stone-faced judges, and actors trying

out for their breakout role.

And it's not just objectively pressure-filled situations either. It's any time you psych yourself out.

For instance, a recent study found that people who are lonely tend to choke under self-imposed

social pressure. When we feel desperate to connect, we end up spilling our

drink or tripping over our feet and not in an adorable Jennifer Lawrence kind of

way either. Therefore, this week we'll talk about why we choke and four ways to give yourself a psychological

Heimlich maneuver.

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