So, if you put the physical and mental effects together, now we find ourselves in a less than ideal emotional state where we are feeling anxiety, dread, fear, worry, even panic perhaps. And when we feel this way, instinct usually takes over. Now, instincts are usually good, in that instinct keeps us away from danger and can save our lives, but not in this case. In this case instincts tend to make us do pretty much the opposite of what would help us play our best. We tighten up, we overthink, we focus on the wrong things, and we play tentatively, carefully, cautiously.