You could take a couple different approaches.

1. Just treat it like a game day where you're playing 4 games of X-wing.

2. Don't check the standings.

3. If you do connect with someone, check in to see how their games are going.

4. Fully expect the dice to abandon you in at least one game.

5. Find a second outlet for your competitive side, so it doesn't get concentrated on this one game, possibly ruining the fun.

6. Call your wife or a friend after a match or two.

Just a couple things to try to keep your mind off of you & your squad.

There's actually been a lot of research and discovery into the sensation you are feeling. One of the most prevalent conclusions is that there are situations we are exposed to which triggers a "fight or flight" response deep within our subconscious.

These situations usually involve some sort of "fear". I put fear in quotation marks because I'm not talking about Hollywood's definition of fear, but rather at a subconscious or conscious level we are are concerned. Athletes, first responders, soldiers, all of normal every-day people everywhere experience this so I'm not talking about how tough or macho we are or are not.

In the case of x-wing it could be bad dice, being out-flown, making a mistake, playing against a jerk, etc. It 's that fear / concern (call it what you want) that then triggers fight or flight.

When fight or flight is triggered our bodies go through physical changes. Adreneline and other enzymes are released from the brain to prepare ourselves physically for self preservation. That feeling you get in your stomach, the way you breathe, having the jitters or shakes, etc. are all results of this.

So there's 2 sides to it then. The mental and the physical side. Vorpal and others have already given some great suggestions for tackling the mental side. If the fear trigger is conscious then you need figure out a way to overcome it (easier said then done sometimes). Subconscious fear triggers are much more difficult to root out but can also be minimized, managed or eliminated.

For the physical side one technique is to consciously change your breathing. Fight or flight will usually trigger Thoracic breathing (from the chest) or Clavicular breathing (from the shoulders). The third way we can breathe is called Diaphragmatic (diaphragm contracts). The theory is that fight or flight and diaphragmatic breathing don't mix so if you force your body to breathe this way the brain will stop or at least suspend the release of Adreneline and related enzymes thus stopping those physical manifestations.

To breathe this way put your fingers just below your rib cage. Push your stomach out as you breathe in (thus using your diaphragm to breathe). If you are doing it right your fingers should rise as you enhale. Taking a few deep breathes this way causes the physical manifestations of fight of flight to decrease in most of us.

Just be aware that they can come back. A trigger hits you and you start to get a little shaky. You focus on diaphragmatic breathing and it goes away so you start focusing again on the task at hand and you a hit a trigger again and the physical manifestations can start again. That's why for severe cases it's really important to address the mental side.

It's also note worthy that if you are highly athletic this can be difficult. Athletes live in the Thoracic and Clavicular breathing world and when exposed to adreneline have even stronger tendencies to breathe in those ways.

In the case of x-wing I'd guess most who get this usually experience it early in competitive games and after a few minutes it passes. So they just need to get into the game to deal with the mental side. In that case some early diaphragmatic breathing may be all they need.

Anyways this all theory and everyone is different so your results may vary. Best of luck.

As the game expands, the increasing possibilities in builds make it more difficult to find the "best" tournament options, hence the anxiety maybe. I'm always there to have fun and to gain experience, but I also want to have a good fighting chance of course.

There's actually been a lot of research and discovery into the sensation you are feeling. One of the most prevalent conclusions is that there are situations we are exposed to which triggers a "fight or flight" response deep within our subconscious.

"Okay, self, we've got a confrontation coming up. There are consequences for losing. So what imma do here is PUMP YOU FULL OF CORTISOL AND EPINEPHRINE GO GO GO WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR KILL THAT SABERTOOTH TIGER! Wait, what? You're pushing toys around a table? Oh, my bad. You might, uh... you might do some sweating and shaking for the next half hour or so. And you won't be thinking very clearly, so try not to do anything that requires focus and attention, okay?"

For the physical side one technique is to consciously change your breathing...

It's also note worthy that if you are highly athletic this can be difficult. Athletes live in the Thoracic and Clavicular breathing world and when exposed to adreneline have even stronger tendencies to breathe in those ways.

I don't want to harp on the martial-arts thing too heavily, but breathing correctly is one of the first things I learned, and something my instructors all put a lot of emphasis on. One of the ways your body naturally reacts to stress is to begin breathing quickly and deeply (usually from the chest or shoulders, as noted), which initially helps push CO2 out and concentrate oxygen in your blood (because your body assumes your muscles need to be functioning at peak efficiency for a very short time).

However, it also has the effect of pulling oxygen away from other functions, and sustained hyperventilation has a number of physiological and psychological side effects including... wait for it... anxiety. This is particularly fun when you're prone to anxiety anyway, because it leads to a positive feedback cycle: you're anxious, so you hyperventilate, so you become more anxious, so you continue to hyperventilate, so you become more anxious. Diaphragmatic breathing is definitely a key to breaking that cycle, which helps get both your head and body back under your conscious control.

Think of your hara, a point inside your body right behind your bellybutton. When you draw in a breath, you direct it toward your hara, and your hara expands; when you breathe out, you push the air back out starting from your hara.

Diaphragmatic breathing means breathing like a Buddha statue--with a rounded belly and a smile. Seriously, try it.

Having a mantra that you recite in your head to sharpen your focus and alleviate the nervousness helps too.

I like: To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women!

Say that over and over again in your head; you'll be ready to take on the whole Empire by yourself.

Having a mantra that you recite in your head to sharpen your focus and alleviate the nervousness helps too.

I like: To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women!

Say that over and over again in your head; you'll be ready to take on the whole Empire by yourself.

That's not a mantra; It is what's best in this world -

Having a mantra that you recite in your head to sharpen your focus and alleviate the nervousness helps too.

I like: To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women!

Say that over and over again in your head; you'll be ready to take on the whole Empire by yourself.

That's not a mantra; It is what's best in this world -

Yes, yes it is lol.

Also, and I hesitate to mention this, but if you have full blown anxiety attacks, check into beta blockers. Low side effects, very safe for most people. It blocks your bodies ability to produce adrenalin. It can help with the physical side.

Don't take NyQuil. You only lost, to me :-) , because you were exhausted from worry the night before. We both played identical lists because we wanted to win, have fun sure, but we wanted to do well in a game we love and have great passion for. We played what we thought we could succeed with and studied the build carefully.

Truth be told I'm just as worried and anxious, about you! Actually my game has suffered after Wave 4 as I've tried to adjust to the new meta and my attempts at denying it. We have some awesome players in our region and you my friend are one of the best. Don't worry, have fun, bring your A game.

So it looks like you are not alone.

You are a great opponent and it was some awesome games. I can't speak for the others, but you'll be my biggest challenge. I dont think I'll do as well as you this next time around. Im also expecting to get no sleep again lol.

Really appreciate what you said, but I just have a feeling I'll probably do terrible.

Probably doesn't help going over list over list thinking which should I play, and probably choose a bad one lol

Plus I am really excited to just get to play with other people. Our xwing group still small so my relay opponents are the same two except in Thursday night, I may pay a new player.

Thank you everyone else for your comments and suggestions.

I know there isn't much that I can do.

Just like when going on a plane and I kind of start freaking out, I just say to myself, it's all in my head lol.

Just like when going on a plane and I kind of start freaking out, I just say to myself, it's all in my head lol.

Seriously my last post in this thread, but at least for me "it's all in your head" was really destructive, because it suggested that there's something not-real about the anxiety--and therefore being anxious was just another failure. So then I started feeling anxious about facing situations that might make me anxious...

The problem isn't that your anxiety isn't real, it's that it's out of place at an X-wing tournament. So don't tell yourself that "it's all in my head"; instead, say to yourself "I understand what's happening, and I can take steps to change it."

And then work on your diaphragmatic breathing.

Yeah, on a plane just accept you are going to die and YOLO out the windows the moment it starts shaking

No seriously, i really like and thank Vorpal and D4rkT3mpl4r voicing what i tried to say in my first post in a more educated and helpful fashion, and i didn't know the diaphragmatic breathing, that can come handy for just anybody.

Thanks again guys.

This is why I really like this community.

People here are very understanding and helpful

Don't take NyQuil. You only lost, to me :-) , because you were exhausted from worry the night before. We both played identical lists because we wanted to win, have fun sure, but we wanted to do well in a game we love and have great passion for. We played what we thought we could succeed with and studied the build carefully.

Truth be told I'm just as worried and anxious, about you! Actually my game has suffered after Wave 4 as I've tried to adjust to the new meta and my attempts at denying it. We have some awesome players in our region and you my friend are one of the best. Don't worry, have fun, bring your A game.

So it looks like you are not alone.

Well thanks

You are a great opponent and it was some awesome games. I can't speak for the others, but you'll be my biggest challenge. I dont think I'll do as well as you this next time around. Im also expecting to get no sleep again lol.

Really appreciate what you said, but I just have a feeling I'll probably do terrible.

Probably doesn't help going over list over list thinking which should I play, and probably choose a bad one lol

Plus I am really excited to just get to play with other people. Our xwing group still small so my relay opponents are the same two except in Thursday night, I may pay a new player.

Thank you everyone else for your comments and suggestions.

I know there isn't much that I can do.

Just like when going on a plane and I kind of start freaking out, I just say to myself, it's all in my head lol.

Yep, you two might have more pressure because of the last tournament results, being the top two players. Sorry, not helping I know! Still, from what I've seen, you're both excellent players with good attitude and spirit. Like I wrote earlier, with Wave IV it's getting more difficult to determine the ideal build, but once you've decided what to fly, just trust your experience and ability and you'll do fine. Can't trust the dice anyway. hehe

You know, not to make fun or anything, but I'm very surprised that not one person has yet suggested that when you feel the anxiety coming on to just "do a green maneuver to clear your stress."

I would like to thank the OP for this topic. I suffer from a degree of anxiety as well. The night before a tournament I sleep very poorly (if at all), and I get a case of the shakes for at least my first match. My hands have shook so bad before that I had to ask my opponent I he wouldn't mind moving my ships for so that I wouldn't knock everything over. I'm fine after the first match, but before that my hands are **** near useless. I'll have to try out these breathing exorcises and see if that helps.

So again thanks for bring up this topic.