I think you can train yourself to block out some of that pressure and replace it with confidence. It's about preparation, and the more prepared I am, the less pressure I feel and the more confident I am. As your confidence grows, it's only natural that the pressure you feel diminishes.
I've always been supremely confident in my abilities. But the biggest confidence boost is when the guys around you, you feel like they have confidence in you.
The thing you realize as you get older and you play, that you don't really understand when you're a backup the first few offseasons, how important that mental rest is. It's a grind physically during the season, dealing with the hits and the physical pain that goes with playing in this game. But mentally it's probably more taxing, so you need that ability to find that escape.
I've always been supremely confident in my abilities. But the biggest confidence boost is when the guys around you, you feel like they have confidence in you.