psych yourself up — prepare mentally
phrasal verbB2common
to mentally prepare and motivate yourself for something difficult or nerve-wracking
Pattern: psych yourself up (for / to do something)
In use
- I had to really psych myself up to make that phone call.emotions
- Give me a minute, I'm psyching myself up to jump in.emotions
Common mistake
Spelling it 'psyche up'; the verb form is 'psych'.