When do you typically get big game, game day anxiety?

[Bad Things]

The anxiety has honestly begun creeping in this morning.

 

I hope McD has this team playing full-throttle all season this year.  No loses to lesser teams.

 

20-0!

 

Let' go Buffalo!

[uninja]

I get kickoff/first couple of series jitters, but that’s about it. 

[Lieutenant Aldo Raine]

Right before kickoff, I get the nervous shakes.

[The Firebaugh Kid]

This one is..... so different for me.

It's a Thursday, and it's a massive matchup. 

Typically, the opener is a less sexy matchup, and a Sunday 1pm.

It's strange though, I'm not nervous at all today.

I'm sure once I see my football crew on Thursday, it'll be there instantly though.

I'm just so damn excited to see the Bills again.

It's been a long wait since..... you know what. 

I expect to win. Go Bills

[frostbitmic]

I'll have no anxiety until the Rams are ready to punt or kickoff to McKittrick.

[Dukestreetking]

I've had anxiety sh**ts since Saturday.

 

...wait, what was the question?

[Putin]

1 hour ago, Royale with Cheese said:

I'm starting to get mine now.  I watched a couple of the hype videos, watched the GMFB and other sports shows....I'm feeling it now.

 

For the regular season games that aren't "big games"...I don't get it until like an hour before the game.

 

Big games like this, playoff games or prime time games....I start getting getting them the morning of.  This one, probably because of the hype...2 days before.

 

I'm doing the bare minimum at work today.  Just enough not to get noticed that I'm doing nothing.

My fridge is stoked with wings and my cupboard with Xanax  !!! 

[BarleyNY]

I’m impatient. Let’s go. 

[eball]

My wife and I celebrated a big anniversary last week so we went to Montreal for the weekend and it was a great way to forget about football for a bit.  Now that I'm back, I'm completely useless for work.  I have a fantasy draft tonight so that will be fun, and then we leave for LA at 5 pm tomorrow.  It's on!

[Beast]

I'm not a rookie like the OP. Ice water runs through my veins.

[Lane Meyer K12]

It is exciting but anxiety is for the players. Ultimately, it is a game being played by others. So it is best not to get too emotionally invested and just enjoy it for what it is. 

[Beast]

7 minutes ago, Lane Meyer K12 said:

It is exciting but anxiety is for the players. Ultimately, it is a game being played by others. So it is best not to get too emotionally invested and just enjoy it for what it is. 

 

Then why be a fan?

[CoudyBills]

1 hour ago, Royale with Cheese said:

I'm starting to get mine now.  I watched a couple of the hype videos, watched the GMFB and other sports shows....I'm feeling it now.

 

For the regular season games that aren't "big games"...I don't get it until like an hour before the game.

 

Big games like this, playoff games or prime time games....I start getting getting them the morning of.  This one, probably because of the hype...2 days before.

 

I'm doing the bare minimum at work today.  Just enough not to get noticed that I'm doing nothing.

Same, 3 days prior.

[julian]

No nerves until Thursday, I’ve got a paid day booked for Thursday and a case of Bud and strip loins in the fridge. Got everything ready because I want to suffer with my nerves alone all day Thursday soaking in every bit of pregame content I can find.

[boco357]

I wanted to throw up before the Afc championship 2 years ago.  Lately it's more just let's get the game on.  Get burnt out of the pre game stuff and have to tune it out after awhile.

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

In the playoffs the last few years, I had to wear my heart rate monitor because I had never experienced such a high resting heart rate. 
 

I am super laid back and stress free in all things, except the Bills. I start stressing for days prior to any “big game” (and as my wife reminds me, I always say “every game is a big game.”)

[Shake_My_Head]

I used to get hyped up, reading every article and MB post leading up to the game.    It was an emotional rollercoaster and it'd take me days to recover from a loss.

 

Now, I avoid all the articles and buildup and turn the game on five minutes before kickoff.   I'm still emotionally vested, but it seems like I can manage the ups and downs better (I'm talking 'normal' games, not the 13-second variety that take years off of your life).

 

 

[Augie]

1 hour ago, Virgil said:

This thread is why I’m on this board.  It makes me feel less crazy for being anxious about the game.  
 

I already have my “at least it was a NFC team” excuse ready to go 

 

It’s just an illusion. Hanging out with crazy does NOT make you less crazy. You just blend in better. 

1 hour ago, Lieutenant Aldo Raine said:

Right before kickoff, I get the nervous shakes.

 

I will often cook using nervous energy. I just need something to do. My stomach is rarely looking for food, but it gets me to kickoff. I try to be careful with knives. 

[Success]

It depends on the circumstances. This one feels a lot bigger, so I'm already getting some nerves.  Kick-off game, against the team I thought we'd meet in the SB.  Seems like all of America is waiting to see if the Bills will live up to the hype - or if there will be a hangover from the KC collapse.

 

And I think losing the opener last year really set a tone.  I shrugged it off when we lost to Pitt, but we never really got going until the last month or so after that.

 

[Bob in STL]

It starts the morning of the game and stays there until the first hit, first play.  

[notwoz]

46 minutes ago, Beast said:

 

Then why be a fan?

 

Because one can be a fan without exhibiting signs of OCD.

[Logic]

I don't get much pre-game anxiety.

DURING the game, though? Oh man.

I can often be found pacing back on forth, standing mere inches from the TV, or sitting literally on the edge of my seat.

I have to have a book to read on commercial breaks because I have no chill for the three minutes that the game isn't on.

My wife often says "why do you do this to yourself? Do you even ENJOY watching football?!". The answer is...."it's complicated". 😆

[UConn James]

I’ve been doing the better living through chemistry (the legal Rx kind) thing for anxiety the past couple of years. I have a few supplemental doses per month the doc prescribed for extra heavy days.

Even the AFC Championship game 2 years ago, it kinda seemed like it came and went with a blur, speaking time-wise.

 

When I was younger I would literally get sick with anxiety and what might now be called panic attacks (and for those reading the thread on OTW, I’m also on the autism spectrum, where anxiety is kinda part & parcel).

[Royale with Cheese]

1 hour ago, Beast said:

I'm not a rookie like the OP. Ice water runs through my veins.

You have Lemon Drop Martinis running through your veins.

[SageAgainstTheMachine]

The only thing making me nervous right now is that I've never experienced the Bills being the betting favorite for the SB before.

 

Even after the KC loss in the playoffs last year there was some mocking about 13 seconds but mostly everyone was just talking about the epic game that Allen played.  If we get humbled in THIS game, though, something like a loss by a TD or more, it's going to be a different story and I'll need to avoid the media for the entire week.

[Philo]

34 minutes ago, Logic said:

I don't get much pre-game anxiety.

DURING the game, though? Oh man.

I can often be found pacing back on forth, standing mere inches from the TV, or sitting literally on the edge of my seat.

I have to have a book to read on commercial breaks because I have no chill for the three minutes that the game isn't on.

My wife often says "why do you do this to yourself? Do you even ENJOY watching football?!". The answer is...."it's complicated". 😆

 

I am the same way with the pacing and hovering right in front of the TV. My coping mechanism during commercials is checking other scores/fantasy matchups...too bad I can't do that Thursday night! 😬

[NickelCity]

Used to be regular season, but not anymore. Now it's when we "need it" (second pats* game last year) and it's through the roof in the playoffs...we just gotta win it all!!

[billybob71]

Well i didn't have to much anxiety then i read thru this thread... 

[Xwnyer]

Last night 

[Your Brown Eye]

I won't have any anxiety until the playoffs, or this year maybe the Chiefs game. Otherwise excitement yes, anxiety no.

[Punching Bag]

I normally get it night before when I am mixing my frozen drinks to be put in deep freeze.

When I am anxious I get proportions wrong and last time I reversed ratio of mixers to alcohol. 

[DCofNC]

When I am playing in one, if you have anxiety over a game you aren’t playing, you may need medication.

[billybrew1]

I’m going to go to my first Bills road game in my life. It’s the Super Bowl winning Rams on Thursday night and they are going to hoist the banners. There will be famous people dotted within the audience and Black Sabbath (LOL)  is playing at half time….

Also my first game that I see Josh Allen live!  I’m pumped! I’m so pumped I’m exhausted. Like I’m too excited. Glad I don’t have to play and I hope the Bills aren’t too pumped… I hope they don’t get too tired while the banners are hoisted. I’m also a huge admirer of Sofi stadium. I hope we can get there real early and check it out from an architectural point of view… I’m going with two architects to aid in my scenic tour.  I’ll probably spend about $1000 ticket, beer, hotel, lunch, dinner and then breakfast…. I can’t afford to do that very much that is fer sure…

I think it’s going to be too hot to wear a jersey….

Its definitely going to be a dogfight. I find it highly improbable that either team can win easy. The rams are just too good. We have are trouble spots (imho) with Spencer Brown starting after not really training too much this offseason (and I was really psyched that he’d train like crazy this offseason) and then Dane Jackson gets a start and he is paired with rookies going to split time. My guess is Elam excels at man and Benford at zone but talk about nerves being a rookie CB’s first game! National TV millions of viewers scrutinizing every move. Going against Cooper Kupp? Anyway, huge game for all three of our corners. I have some faith that Hyde and Poyer can ease their fears….TJ too… I honestly think if the Bills win it will be by a hair. Though once Tre White returns to form and our young corners get some very valuable experience our secondary will be awesome. Maybe the best the NFL has to offer. Once that happens, we will be nearly unbeatable, imho…

Bills win scoring a TD to Khalil Shakir with seven seconds left winning by two….

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

3 hours ago, Gugny said:

As of now, all I am feeling is excitement.

 

Through yesterday, I had myself convinced that the Bills will lose on Thursday.  But I knew that would change as the game gets closer and that's already happening.  By Thursday morning, I'll have the Bills winning by two scores.

 

 

Prepare for the worst, hope for the best 

[ControllerOfPlanetX]

1 hour ago, Logic said:

I don't get much pre-game anxiety.

DURING the game, though? Oh man.

I can often be found pacing back on forth, standing mere inches from the TV, or sitting literally on the edge of my seat.

I have to have a book to read on commercial breaks because I have no chill for the three minutes that the game isn't on.

My wife often says "why do you do this to yourself? Do you even ENJOY watching football?!". The answer is...."it's complicated". 😆

same here….and if the Bills get up by 14 …for some reason it gets worse..I panic that they are going to blow it.

[Mr. WEO]

[Augie]

1 hour ago, Logic said:

I don't get much pre-game anxiety.

DURING the game, though? Oh man.

I can often be found pacing back on forth, standing mere inches from the TV, or sitting literally on the edge of my seat.

I have to have a book to read on commercial breaks because I have no chill for the three minutes that the game isn't on.

My wife often says "why do you do this to yourself? Do you even ENJOY watching football?!". The answer is...."it's complicated". 😆

 

When I met my wife back in the 80’s, the Bills went 2-14 in back to back seasons. My wife asked the exact same questions!  The next year they went 4-12, not exactly “whadaya you say now?” material. 

 

The only correct answer is, this may take some time.

 

We went to the Bills/Redskins SB rather than buy a dining room set. She’s used to it now, no longer has to take the kids and the dogs for 3 hour walks. We are now in training with the grandkid’s generation. Next one due in October and my son is worried she will arrive on a game day. 

[Logic]

5 minutes ago, Augie said:

 

When I met my wife back in the 80’s, the Bills went 2-14 in back to back seasons. My wife asked the exact same questions!  The next year they went 4-12, not exactly “whadaya you say now?” material. 

 

The only correct answer is, this may take some time.

 

We went to the Bills/Redskins SB rather than buy a dining room set. She’s used to it now, no longer has to take the kids and the dogs for 3 hour walks. We are now in training with the grandkid’s generation. Next one due in October and my son is worried she will arrive on a game day. 

My wife used to work every Sunday. She'd find out from co-workers or customers what the final score of the Bills game was so that she knew what to expect and "how to act around me" when she got home.

What saints they are to put up with our foolishness!

I've gotten much better over the years. I used to let a loss ruin my whole Sunday (and maybe my Monday, and maybe...). I'd be all sullen and irritable. Not any more. Life is too short. Losses suck, sure. They hurt bad. But not bad enough to let it affect my life or the way I interact with loved ones. Life is just too damned short.

[FieldGeneral]

It's the weirdest thing for me, but when we're tied or up 3-5 points at halftime. 

[Boatdrinks]

4 hours ago, Virgil said:

This thread is why I’m on this board.  It makes me feel less crazy for being anxious about the game.  
 

I already have my “at least it was a NFC team” excuse ready to go 

Especially since we know NFC losses help our playoff standing!