Do you feel stressed? Are the deadlines piling up? Are you making mistakes at work? I recently sent an email to a group with the wrong attachment and I as soon as I found out I started to worry about the ramifications of my actions – fortunately a simple apology and resending of the email of the correct attachment worked, but when I found out I had a sense of dread and panic.
If only we could stay calm under pressure! Slow down, make fewer mistakes.
There are many ways to stay calm under pressure. Books have been written about stress management – you may be under too much pressure for a whole book! Here are three ways to help you learn to stay calm under pressure.
Gratitude. Be Grateful! Studies show that people are grateful for the positive things in their lives have lower cortisol levels – the hormone associated with stress. Researchers at the University of California, Davis demonstrated that people who felt gratitude had increased energy, positive moods and an overall healthy sense of well-being. If you begin your day feeling calm, it will be easier to stay calm when stress comes your way.
Think Positively. When under pressure, if you can think of a positive situation or thought, it will distract your brain from dwelling on the negativity of the stressful situation. Stop, take a minute and breath.
William James once said: “The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.”
Get offline at least for a while. With so many gadgets around the office and our homes it is tempting to be online all the time. (Try wearing an old fashioned watch – you won’t be checking the time on your phone so much so you won’t be checking in!)
Take a few hours a day to disconnect Being constantly “on” does not give your brain the opportunity to rest, de-stress and re-charge, making manageable irritations feel unmanageable.
Take these three small steps to stay calm under pressure.