The Unspoken Truth: How Fear Makes You Poop and Destroys Your Performance

We laugh about it. We make jokes in locker rooms. But when the tension rises before a critical match, and you find yourself glued to the bathroom, it’s not just “nerves.” It’s a biological legacy - one that can physically hijack your body and crush your performance.

Welcome to the primal battlefield of the Vasovagal Response and the Fight-or-Flight Physiology. Let’s break this down to its raw truth:

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Before stadium lights and roaring crowds, your ancestors faced real death:

A lion in the bushes.

A rival tribe approaching with weapons.

Starvation and survival decisions.

In these moments, the human body didn’t have time for “comfort.” It switched to Fight-or-Flight Mode - a complete system override designed purely for survival. And guess what the first biological command was?

"Drop the excess weight.” Literally.

Your body’s ancient wisdom figured it out: You run faster and fight harder when you’re lighter. That meant expelling whatever was in the bladder and bowels immediately.

This is why even today, when your brain perceives a life-or-death scenario (like a major match or performance), it triggers the same physiological response:

Increased adrenaline and cortisol.

Blood pulled away from your stomach and intestines.

A sudden and urgent need to visit the bathroom.

Mind-Blowing Fact:

Studies show that over 80% of elite athletes report a sudden need for defecation or urination before a high-stakes performance.

But here's the shocking part: this response can lower muscle energy availability by up to 15% through premature glycogen burning triggered by stress hormones.

The Invisible Opponent: Social Threats

Your brain doesn’t just respond to physical danger, it reacts just as powerfully to social threats.

The dominant teammate who constantly undermines you.

The coach whose approval feels like a life sentence.

The fear of public failure and humiliation.

In ancient times, being rejected by the tribe meant death. Your nervous system still hasn’t updated its firmware. So even though no one’s wielding a spear at you, your brain acts like they are.

That’s why some athletes, no matter how often they compete, still get trapped in this loop:

Fear of judgment →

Fight-or-flight response →

Sudden bowel urgency →

Energy drain and focus collapse →

Underperformance →

Repeat.

What Happens Energetically?

When this response kicks in:

Blood rushes to your limbs for “escape” rather than fine motor skills.

Your digestive system shuts down, but the bowels empty first.

Breathing becomes shallow; oxygen efficiency drops.

Mental clarity decreases as survival-mode thinking takes over.

Your body isn’t preparing to win; it’s preparing just to survive.

What Can Coaches Do?

Stop Ignoring It. Normalize It.

Every athlete experiences this. Pretending it’s “just weakness” adds more shame and anxiety.

Introduce Pre-Performance Breathing Protocols.

Simple diaphragmatic breathing exercises can reset the vagus nerve and switch off the fight-or-flight response.

Train Psychological Safety in the Team.

A dominant alpha figure can paralyze half your roster.

Foster leadership that lifts, not leadership that intimidates.

Simulate Pressure in Training.

Controlled exposure therapy rewires the brain’s response to pressure.

Final Word: This Is Your Primal Code at Work

You are not weak. You’re just running a 100,000-year-old operating system that thinks the next match could kill you.

But unlike your ancestors, you have the tools to overwrite this response.

So next time you’re about to step onto that field, ask yourself:

Are you running to win… or just trying to survive?

And if you must visit the bathroom before battle, just remember:

It’s not just a biological accident; it’s your ancestors cheering you on to lighten the load and run faster!