I never expected Miley Cyrus to give me material for a mental-performance lesson… but here we are.
If you listen to “Party in the U.S.A.”, you hear a surprisingly relatable story about pressure, uncertainty, and how the right routine can pull you out of your own head.
Miley lands in a new, unfamiliar world — Los Angeles — and immediately asks the same question young athletes ask when they walk into a new team, gym, or tryout:
“Am I gonna fit in?”
Her stomach drops. She feels the nerves. Her body responds before she even has time to think.
But then a Jay-Z song comes on in the taxi…
…and her anxiety melts.
Why?
Because that song is familiar. Predictable. Safe.
It pulls her back to Nashville — back to something she knows — even though she’s nowhere close to home.
That’s the power of a routine.
When the Room Feels Wrong, Familiarity Feels Right
Later in the song, Miley walks into an L.A. party wearing sneakers while everyone else is wearing heels.
She feels out of place again. The nerves return. Her body tightens.
Then a Britney Spears song starts playing…
…and suddenly she’s good.
Hands up. Head clear. Ready to move.
Nothing about the situation changed — except the stimulus that made her feel safe.
This is exactly what happens in sports.
A young pitcher steps on a new mound.
A basketball player walks into a high-pressure showcase.
A soccer player tries out for a new club.
The environment screams “unfamiliar.”
The body screams “danger.”
But routines quiet the noise.
So What Is a Routine, Really?
The dictionary calls a routine “an unvarying and constantly repeated formula.”
Researchers describe it as “a repetitive action that resembles the cycle of a machine.”
But here’s the real-world version:
A routine is a familiar sequence that grounds an athlete when everything around them feels uncertain.
Routines are NOT magical.
They’re NOT superstitions.
They’re NOT quirks.
They’re anchors.
Familiar actions → feelings of safety
Safety → confidence
Confidence → freedom to perform
One study puts it simply:
When the brain recognizes something as familiar, it becomes non-threatening.
That’s exactly what’s happening with Miley and her music.
And it’s exactly what helps athletes RESET under pressure.
Why Routines Reduce Stress and Anxiety
Athletes feel the most anxious when they feel the least in control.
Competition brings:
Uncertainty.
Judgment.
Fear of mistakes.
All of these chip away at a sense of safety.
Routines give that safety back.
A deep breath.
A walk behind the mound.
A line from a favorite song.
These predictable behaviors tell the nervous system:
“You’ve been here before. You’re okay. Let’s go.”
Research backs this up:
Pre-performance routines — whether pre-game, pre-shot, pre-pitch, or pre-match — reliably improve performance by directing attention back to the task and away from distractions.
Or, to borrow from Miley:
The song stays the same, no matter where the party is.
What Athletes (and Parents) Can Learn From All This
Pressure isn’t the problem.
Unfamiliarity is.
Routines:
Create stability in unstable situations.
Shift attention from fear → execution.
Offer something predictable when everything else feels unpredictable.
If you want your athlete to perform with more consistency, start by helping them build routines that ground them.
Not robotic.
Not rigid.
Just familiar.
Something that says:
“This is who I am. This is what I do. I can handle this.”
References
Avni-Babad, D. (2011). Routine and feelings of safety, confidence, and well-being. British Journal of Psychology, 102, 223–244.
Cotterill, S. (2010). Pre-performance routines in sport: current understanding and future directions. International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 3(2), 132–153.
Party in the U.S.A. lyrics © Sony/ATV, Warner/Chappell, Kobalt Music.