How do you handle stress and pressure If stress and pressure hamper your productivity and ability to lead, you need to hear this out.
Recent studies indicate a surge in stress levels, with nearly half of leadership roles grappling with mental health issues like anxiety and depression.
Despite alarming statistics, maintaining composure under pressure is achievable with effective stress management strategies.
Let’s learn about practical methods to handle stress and pressure, empowering you to lead with resilience and poise.
Why do you get stressed at work?
Along with a leadership job comes enormous responsibilities and challenges, which contribute to heightening stress levels. Some common causes of stress in leadership roles include
1. High Levels of Responsibility
Stress is inevitable in a leadership position as leaders bear the ultimate responsibility for the success and performance of the entire organization. And when you need to shoulder all these responsibilities, you naturally get stressed and anxious.
2. Constraints of Time
You are often under tight schedules, juggling multiple tasks, meetings, and responsibilities, leading to time-related stress. So, you cannot blame yourself when you feel exhausted.
From managing talents to the pressure of making crucial decisions, you need to handle it all, as a result, your work-life balance goes for a toss.
3. Preparing for continuous change and uncertainty
The dynamic business environment requires you to adapt to constant changes and navigate uncertainties, which can be mentally taxing.
4. Meeting the expectations of stakeholders
Meeting the expectations of shareholders, board members, employees, and customers can create immense pressure on you.
5. Facing public scrutiny
You are often in the public eye, and your decisions and actions may face scrutiny from the media, regulatory bodies, and the public.
6. Facing strategic challenges
Crafting and implementing effective long-term strategies requires intense focus and can be stressful, especially in competitive industries.
7. Negative self-talk
The urge to get stuff done compromises your psychological and neurological health. The culture of perfection adds fuel to the fire and leads to negativity, unattainable expectations, and negative self-talk.
8. Stigma around stress
As per a survey, 26 percent of C-suite employees accept the fact that there is a stigma around talking about mental health and stress. So, even if you are stressed you hesitate to discuss it due to the stigma attached.
You need to recognize and address these stressors because they will help you use effective coping mechanisms and support systems to maintain your well-being and leadership effectiveness.
How does stress affect you?
You might be so used to the stressful situation that you don’t realize how exhausted you are. But believe us, it can affect you and worsen your health even if you don’t realize it.
The effects of stress can be long-term and short-term. So, here are the symptoms.
Short-term effects
- Trouble sleeping
- Anxiety
- Headache
- Upset stomach
- Shallow breathing
Long-term effects
- Back pain
- Heart disease
- Depression
- A weakened immune system
- Lasting muscle aches and pains
To stay away from all these physical and mental health issues, you need to take action as soon as you see these symptoms or the effects of stress.
How do you handle stress and pressure?
You can use several scientifically proven tips to stay calm and composed in a high-pressure situation at your workplace. Check them out
1. Understand your threshold
Every human being has unique ways to deal with stress as we are a psychologically diverse species. Some call this emotional intelligence and others call it resilience, grit, or emotional stability.
Whatever the label, these traits help you cope with work pressure and stay cool-headed. The only thing you need to do is understand your stress tolerance levels. As per experts, to understand that you can
- Get feedback from a trusted colleague or friend in the office
- Pay attention to your emotional reaction to a triggering situation
- Self-evaluate your performance in different degrees of pressure
Knowing when you get triggered, helps you manage your reactions in those situations.
2. Know your pressure trigger
Once you learn about your personality and how you react to a high-pressure situation, you should know what exactly triggers you. Ask yourself these questions
- Do you get stressed by deadlines and high workloads?
- Do you think that you are failing to balance your work and family or social life? Does that make you anxious and stressed?
- Is it about the unhealthy diet you are following?
- Is there a conflict between you and your colleague?
Whatever the cause is, try to find it out. The best part is, once you know what triggers you, you can learn to minimize such situations that put too much pressure on you. You can do so by planning, prioritizing, and picking your battles. You might also have to go out of your comfort zone but know exactly when to say NO.
3. Use these tips to stay calm
Truth be told, you cannot always avoid pressure. You cannot eliminate stress from your life but you can learn how to handle it better. Here are some tips to cope with stress and pressure:
A) Do Meditation for mental relaxation
Relaxation strategies will help you fight stress and handle aptly fight-or-flight situations. To relax, you need to close your eyes and sit comfortably.
Start from your legs and move upward, systematically contracting and then releasing each major muscle group.
Maintain the tension for 10 seconds, followed by a 20-second relaxation. As you release the muscle tension, mentally repeat the word “relax.” Developing this technique, along with various other relaxation strategies, can assist in lowering symptoms of anxiety and stress.
It is fine if these strategies don’t work for you. You can use a tool to calm your senses down.
GoRoga is one such tool that can help you calm down whenever you are overwhelmed by work pressure. And the best is it does that fast and naturally.
Stress should not be a hindrance in your way when you are out there to lead. And GoRoga Life makes sure that you stay stress-free and take control of it for a happier and healthier life.
Co-founder and Chief Scientist at GoRoga, Dr. Alison Smith, suffered from stress and anxiety for a long time and decided to help thousands of leaders like her across the globe.
When she was struggling, most tools didn’t work and talks and therapy were time-consuming as they worked slowly. She wanted something that really worked and was less time-consuming. These tools and apps are expensive too.
She fulfilled her desire to help others by creating GoRoga.
GoRoga is fast and puts you back in the driver’s seat. It is a therapeutic wearable that you need to wear like a pair of headphones. These padded headphones send a gentle pulse to your brain that signals safety to your nervous system.
Above all, it’s not magic, it’s pure science!
Created to administer non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) at a scientifically validated frequency to lower moderate to severe stress, this amazing tool utilizes the two compact stimulation pads positioned behind your ears.
GoRoga Life effectively diminishes brain activation linked to worry and rumination and promotes alpha brain waves associated with a tranquil mental state.
GoRoga has made stress-reducing NIBS more accessible, appealing, and user-friendly, helping you to enjoy its benefits in the comfort of your home.
All you need to do is
Step1
Stick the stimulation pads behind your ears.
Step 2
Open the GoRoga Life app and enjoy your guided sessions designed by qualified instructors.
Step 3
Get relief from stress and anxiety as the tiny pulses interrupt all your stress signals, relieving your nervous system and helping you feel better and fresh.
B) Respond to stress by making healthy choices
Instead of using fast food or alcohol to cope with stress, try to make healthy choices when you feel stressed. Doing exercise, like yoga or any physical activity, is a good way to reduce stress.
Don’t forget to spend time on hobbies and activities you enjoy, like reading, going to concerts, or playing games with your family. Getting a good night’s sleep is also important for managing stress.
Create healthy sleep habits by avoiding too much caffeine in the evening and staying away from stimulating activities, such as using the computer or watching TV, before bedtime.
C) Practice problem solving
Problem-solving can be used as a coping mechanism. It is a way to deal with challenges by taking specific steps. These steps include figuring out the problem, thinking of possible solutions, ranking them, making a plan, and trying out the chosen solution.
D) Practice mindfulness
Mindfulness is the skill that helps you focus on the current moment with curiosity, openness, and acceptance. Stress can increase when we dwell on the past, feel scared about the future, or over-criticize ourselves.
Mindfulness trains the brain to break these harmful habits. You can develop mindfulness through formal practices like guided meditation and informal activities like mindful walking.
E) Get some ME time
“I usually go to a quiet place. A bathroom cubicle works wonders. I close my eyes, turn inward, and breathe,” Oprah Winfrey says in her book What I Know for Sure.
You have heard it from the horse’s mouth. Going to a quiet place can really help you bring down your stress levels.
F) Get ample sleep
The preparation for your office happened the previous night.
How?
It’s all about catching those precious Zs.
“There is that special glow after a good night’s sleep when you feel really in the zone… You feel like, ‘Bring it on — you know I can handle anything!” said Arianna Huffington, the co-founder of Huffington Post, the founder and CEO of Thrive Global.
G) Get medical support
We understand that C-suite jobs and stress go hand in hand and all the tips mentioned above will work slowly and only when you apply them consistently.
At times, you may feel desperate as nothing works and you feel like your world is going to crumble due to excessive stress and anxiety.
In that case, you should approach a general practitioner who can suggest some coping mechanisms for you or may recommend some type of counseling or cognitive behavioral therapy.
Conclusion
Stress and mental health challenges are part and parcel of leadership roles. It is a reality that cannot be ignored, particularly in today’s demanding work environments.
But you can manage stress and pressure by acknowledging the sources of it, understanding its effects on your short-term and long-term well-being, and implementing effective coping strategies.
Recognizing your stress triggers, practicing mindfulness, making healthy choices, and seeking support are key components of a comprehensive approach to stress management.
Most importantly, it’s essential to prioritize self-care, including adequate sleep and personal time, to build resilience and navigate the challenges of leadership successfully.
FAQ :
Q1. How do you handle yourself under stress and pressure?
You can handle yourself with calm and composure by prioritizing self-awareness, recognizing your stress triggers, and implementing coping strategies. This includes deep breathing exercises, time management, and seeking support from colleagues when needed.
Q2. How do you deal with extreme stress at work?
When facing extreme stress, you can break down tasks into manageable steps, prioritize responsibilities, and focus on problem-solving. Taking short breaks to reset your mind and practicing mindfulness techniques also contribute to managing extreme stress.
Q3. How do you deal with stress and high-pressure situations?
In high-pressure situations, you need to remain calm by staying organized, setting realistic goals, and communicating effectively with your team members. Prioritizing tasks, utilizing relaxation techniques, and maintaining a positive mindset help you navigate stress in challenging situations.
Q4. How does work pressure cause stress?
Work pressure can lead to stress due to factors such as high responsibility, tight deadlines, and constant change. The need to meet expectations from various stakeholders, coupled with the challenges of maintaining work-life balance, can contribute to heightened stress levels in a professional setting.
Q5. How can I calm my anxiety at work?
To calm anxiety at work, consider implementing relaxation strategies. This may involve deep breathing exercises, taking short walks, or practicing mindfulness during breaks. Additionally, prioritizing tasks, setting realistic goals, and seeking support from colleagues or using stress-relief tools, such as the GoRoga App, can be beneficial.
References
https://www.who.int/news/item/02-03-2022-covid-19-pandemic-triggers-25-increase-in-prevalence-of-anxiety-and-depression-worldwide
https://www.hrmagazine.co.uk/content/news/c-suite-staff-require-more-support-with-stress/
https://hbr.org/2022/05/how-to-deal-with-high-pressure-situations-at-work
