How to manage pressure?

Pressure – Part: 2

As we saw last week, pressure is usually linked to a mental perception of overwhelm and over-burden linked to perceived internal and external factors. Here, the important word is perceived. It implies that we may have some control over the pressures and types of pressures we feel. I know firsthand how hard it is to change, as when we are feeling that overwhelm, we are usually in full stress-activated mode. Which means that our decision abilities are affected. We are in full flight, fight or freeze mode and can’t really switch our perceptions that easily due to the stress response and its impact on our brain.

So, the first thing to do is to reduce this stress response. These techniques are very similar to how to manage anxiety because they are both linked to the body’s stress response and how to lower it and bring our bodies back to normal quicker.

1. Get active: Go out and move. Use up that energy that is being mobilised by your body’s stress response. Problems can occur with our health when we never use the energy that our bodies are stocking up for the fight or flight. Going out and using it can be beneficial in multiple ways.
2. Meditate: Taking the time to breathe can help lower your stress response as well. Guided meditation can be just five minutes and can help re-activate your decision capabilities.
3. Laugh: They say laughter is the best medicine and, in this case, even if it is forced, it can also lower the stress response.
4. Singing and music: Again, it helps with breathing and slowing the stress response.
5. Be creative: Create something, anything, to use up that spare energy in a creative way. No talent is needed, you can rip it up or burn your creation after you are done if you hate it, or you can frame it or sell it. It is for you. Research on Art Therapy shows the beneficial effects that this can have. Even if it is just using a child’s colouring book and filling in a page during your breaks.
6. Healthy habits: Eat a healthy diet, lower caffeine intake, and avoid alcohol, smoking, excessive eating or using illegal substances. Consulting a nutritionist can help here because what constitutes a healthy eating habit changes as more research is done and they are more up to date on the topic. They can also help in case of dietary restrictions or health concerns with food.
7. Manage sleep health: Having enough sleep is extremely important especially in times of high stress. This can be harder to do because stress impacts sleep. Our society is also productivity centered and we try to do too much in a day and shortchange sleep as a result. A good balance is necessary, and a lot of research shows a link between insomnia and intolerance to stress (as well as increased chance for anxiety and depression). Consulting a medical professional if you have issues with your sleep, may be a good first step.
8. Connect with others: We are social creatures and stress can make us isolate ourselves because we feel it makes us become irritable. Being with others can be a good distraction, but it can also help with changing our perspective; if we have people, we can discuss our problems with. Volunteering for a charitable cause can also help. We feel better when we can help others no matter what our situation is.
9. Delegate: We might want to be able to do everything, but it usually isn’t possible without paying a price, usually our health or our social life. Saying no may be difficult but setting healthy boundaries is actually beneficial especially long term.
10. Keep a journal: It can be a way of venting and releasing the pent-up frustration we can feel during the day, week or month. It is important not to censor and just let what comes out come out. It will be very difficult at first, if you’ve never tried before, but imagining speaking to a friend or loved one can be helpful. You can picture yourself purging your thoughts. It may be helpful to avoid ruminating in your bed at night because all the thoughts are “out” of your head and closing the page on them when you are done is very therapeutic in and of itself. It can help you get a better nights sleep. This is for no one but you. Just let it flow and it can be on the computer or on paper, or both, it can also be visual as a sketch. You can throw it out or keep it to reflect on later or even burn it (safely, of course). You have full control of this.
11. Seek counseling: The professionals can help with the feelings of overwhelm and over-burden that come up in periods of high stress. They can identify the causes of stress and give new ideas or tools to help you cope. You don’t have to keep being stuck.

It is important to try different methods and combinations to see what works for you. Most important is don’t stay stuck. That way leads to depression, anxiety issues and burn out. There is hope and it is possible to overcome and manage these pressures.

Next week I will explore the link between pressure and stress and the differences between them.

What do you do when you feel mounting pressure? Any of the tricks here or something else? Please leave a comment below.

“Pressure is nothing more than the shadow of great opportunity”

– Michael Johnson

Resources

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress-relievers/art-20047257