Stop Overreacting Under Pressure

Let’s get something straight.

If you overreact under pressure—snap in meetings, get defensive, freeze, ramble, or emotionally spiral—
you don’t have a personality problem.

You have a training problem.

And pretending otherwise is what keeps smart, capable people stuck repeating the same reactions while wondering why they’re not being taken seriously.

Welcome to Human Edge, where you master your mind, strengthen your life, and build the confidence to perform at your best. I’m Jennifer Rist, Human Performance Strategist and creator of The CLEAR Method™.

Let’s talk about how to stop overreacting before pressure hijacks your brain.

 Why Pressure Makes You Look Worse Than You Are

When pressure hits, your brain doesn’t rise to your level of experience.
It drops to the level of your nervous system conditioning.

Under stress, your brain shifts control away from the prefrontal cortex—the part responsible for judgment, impulse control, and strategic thinking—and hands the wheel to the amygdala, your threat detector.

Harvard Medical School research shows acute stress can reduce prefrontal cortex functioning by up to 40%.

So, what does this all mean????
Even high performers temporarily lose access to their best thinking when pressure spikes.

That’s why:

• Smart people say dumb things

• Leaders get reactive instead of decisive

• Credibility erodes in moments that actually matter

Pressure doesn’t create the reaction.
It reveals what you’ve trained.

Unfortunately, there is a Real Cost of Overreacting (No Sugarcoating)

Overreacting isn’t just uncomfortable—it’s expensive.

📉 Credibility drops when emotion overrides composure
📉 Influence shrinks when reactions feel unpredictable
📉 Leadership trust erodes when pressure exposes volatility

According to the Center for Creative Leadership, poor emotional regulation is one of the top predictors of leadership derailment—even among technically brilliant professionals.

You don’t lose opportunities because you lack skill.
You lose them because people don’t trust how you show up under pressure.

What Most People Get Wrong About “Emotional Control”

Most advice tells you to:
“Breathe.”
“Stay positive.”
“Name your feelings.”

That’s fine—after the fact.

But in real-time pressure moments, emotional control doesn’t come from introspection.
It comes from structure.

You don’t manage emotions.
You manage speed, language, and focus.

Let’s look at Three Strong Moves That Stop Overreactions Fast

1. Slow the Moment Before It Runs You

Overreactions thrive on speed.

Buy yourself time with composed, neutral phrases:

• “Let me think about that for a moment.”

• “That’s worth responding to carefully.”

• “Let’s pause and clarify.”

Research from MIT Sloan shows even a brief pause (3–5 seconds) significantly improves decision quality under pressure.

Pausing isn’t weakness.
It’s command.

2. Strip Emotion Out of Your Language

Emotional reactions show up first in words.

Under stress, people default to:

• Absolutes (“always,” “never”)

• Personal framing (“this feels like an attack”)

• Emotional judgments (“this is ridiculous”)

Swap them for neutral, outcome-focused language:

• “Help me understand the criteria.”

• “Let’s define the objective.”

• “What matters most here?”

Stanford research found neutral framing reduces perceived conflict by over 30% in high-stakes interactions.

Language leads emotion—not the other way around.

3. Anchor to Outcome, Not Ego

Pressure triggers identity defense:
Do I look competent? Am I being challenged?

High performers ask a better question:
What outcome actually matters here?

According to Harvard Business Review, leaders who stay outcome-focused under stress are rated 23% more effective by peers.

Ego reacts.
Outcome orientation responds.

The Bottom Line

Emotional regulation isn’t about being calm for the sake of calm.

It’s about:

• Protecting your credibility

• Maintaining influence

• Performing when stakes are high

As AI accelerates decision-making, communication, and competition, human performance under pressure is becoming a differentiator—not a “soft skill.”

You don’t need to be less emotional.
You need to be better trained.

That my friends is… the human edge.

Sources & Research

• Harvard Medical School – Stress & prefrontal cortex function

• Center for Creative Leadership – Emotional regulation & leadership derailment

• MIT Sloan – Decision-making under pressure

• Stanford University – Language and conflict psychology

• Harvard Business Review – Leadership effectiveness under stress

 Check out The CLEAR Method Blueprint now available: https://www.jenniferrist.com/the-clear-method-blueprint

Grab my new free eBook: 5 Scripts to Stay Calm and Credible in High Stakes Conversations: https://www.jenniferrist.com/5-scripts-to-stay-calm-credible-in-high-stakes-conversations

Grab my free eBook, Discipline Made Simple: 5 Proven Steps to Transform Your Life in the Next 30 Days— https://www.jenniferrist.com/signup-f3ab2053-5e66-4f03-8c95-a0e65717abec

Three things to ALWAYS remember:

Be CONFIDENT!

Be EMPATHETIC!

AND ALWAYS HAVE PASSION!!!!