For some athletes and riders, competition nerves aren’t just butterflies or a bit of tension.

They’re physical.
Overwhelming.
Sometimes so intense they lead to nausea or feeling sick before even starting.

If that sounds familiar, let’s clear something up straight away:

Nothing is wrong with you.
And no, this isn’t a “you just need to toughen up” issue.

Feeling physically unwell before competing is far more common than people admit. And more importantly, it’s understandable once you know what’s actually happening.

Why Competition Anxiety Becomes Physical

Your body doesn’t randomly betray you on competition day.

Every physical reaction has a chain behind it:

• Every action is driven by a feeling

• Every feeling is driven by a thought

Feeling sick isn’t the problem.
It’s the final output of what’s been running in your mind.

In other words, nausea is not the cause, it’s the consequence.

Long before your body reacts, your brain has already been busy:

• Predicting outcomes

• Filling in gaps

• Running scenarios on autopilot

And when stakes feel high, your mind almost always defaults to worst-case endings.

The Hidden Story Behind Performance Nerves

Our brains are brilliant storytellers.

If you don’t consciously guide the story, your mind will happily finish it for you:

• What if I fail?

• What if I mess this up?

• What if everyone sees I’m not good enough?

These thoughts often happen so fast you don’t even register them, but your body does.

That’s why trying to “calm down” rarely works.
You’re addressing the symptom, not the source.

The Weekly Hack: Slow the Nerves Down

Instead of fighting the nerves, try slowing them down.

Before anxiety peaks, pause and ask yourself:

• What am I actually afraid of right now?

• What story is my mind telling me?

• Is this a fact, or is it a prediction?

This isn’t about positive thinking.
It’s about accurate thinking.

Fact vs Fiction: The Shift That Changes Everything

Most performance anxiety lives in imagined futures.

When you remove emotion and look at facts, the picture often changes:

• How often has the worst-case scenario actually happened?

• What evidence do you have that you can’t cope, compared to all the times you already have?

Your brain needs information to work with.
If you don’t give it facts, it will invent fear.

You don’t need to convince yourself everything will be perfect.
You just need to stop letting fiction run the show.

Replace:

“What if this goes wrong?”

With:

“What do I actually know to be true?”

That’s where regulation begins.

You Don’t Need Less Nerves, You Need a Better Story

Many high performers assume confidence means being calm.

It doesn’t.

Confidence is being able to say:

“I notice I’m nervous, and I can still move forward.”

When the story in your head becomes more grounded, your body follows naturally.
The grip loosens.
The nausea fades.
Your system settles.

Not because you forced it, but because you finally addressed the root.

Want to Go Deeper?

This topic goes far beyond a single blog post.

In one of our podcast episode, we dive deeper into:

• Why nerves peak before you start

• How to unhook from unhelpful mental stories

• What to focus on instead when anxiety shows up

🎧 Listen to the full episode here:
LISTEN ON SPOTIFY

LISTEN ON APPLE PODCAST

Final Thought

Feeling nervous before competing does not mean you’re weak, unprepared, or incapable.

More often than not, it means:

• You care

• You’re stretching your comfort zone

• You’re doing something that matters

And that’s exactly where growth lives.