Instead of using psychological 'mind tricks' (a top-down approach), focus on physiological interventions first. By controlling your breathing and vocal mechanics from the 'bottom-up,' you regulate your nervous system directly, which in turn calms your mind.

Attempting to control anxious thoughts with more thoughts ("top-down") is often ineffective. A more efficient strategy is to first regulate your body's physiology through techniques like controlled breathing ("bottom-up"), which then sends safety signals to the brain, making cognitive shifts easier.

Using a straw to hum or make sound (straw phonation) is a powerful exercise. It creates back pressure, forcing a controlled and elongated exhale. This semi-occluded vocal tract exercise is highly effective at activating the parasympathetic nervous system to induce calm.

High performance requires an optimal arousal level—not too nervous, not too calm. Dr. Gervais advises rating your activation on a 1-10 scale. If it's too high (e.g., a 7-10), use deliberate breathing to "back it down" into the optimal 4-6 zone. Self-talk is the other key lever.

Deep belly breathing, with a focus on a long exhalation, slows the autonomic nervous system and calms physical symptoms of anxiety like a shaky voice. It's a physiological hack to manage the fight-or-flight response.

When you constantly self-monitor your thoughts while speaking, it results in clipped phrases and short breaths. To counter this, consciously elongate the vowels in your words. This 'chanting' or 'intoning' forces a smoother, more controlled breath and creates a more confident vocal delivery.

The counterintuitive advice 'if in doubt, breathe out' is powerful. Focusing on a full, elongated exhalation not only activates your calming nervous system but also ensures a natural, reflexive inhale will follow. You don't need to consciously gasp for air; your body will handle the in-breath automatically.

To manage public speaking anxiety, communication expert Matt Abrahams advises focusing on deep belly breathing where your exhale is twice as long as your inhale. Just two or three of these breaths can slow your nervous system, lower your heart rate, and normalize your voice, providing an immediate calming effect.

Shallow chest breathing during stressful situations creates a vicious cycle of anxiety. In contrast, deep belly (diaphragmatic) breathing is a direct physiological intervention that lowers your heart rate and calms your nervous system, giving you more control and presence.