Under Pressure: Most of us have a habit to postpone the task assigned & wait for a closing date to appear up before putting our efforts for completing a task. Most of our bills are getting paid on the last date, a lot of us rush for meetings at the last minute, and start preparing for exams or doing any assigned work when we can no longer put it off!
Let’s get this out of the way right now: Nobody does best under pressure. Many of us think that we do, but we don’t, or, at least, we do not perform as well as we could perform.
We might feel more creative when we are under the pressure, but it’s just a feeling, not a reality. It’s true that you may be more dynamic, but the products you generate are usually poorer.
The difference between general people and successful people is not that the second group succeeds under pressure. It’s that they are able to lessen its adverse impacts.
Tactics to handle the pressure
Handling pressure is a skill, and you can easily learn it. So, just take a deep breath & go through the following tactics for giving your best when the heat is on!
Think of the high-pressure situation as a challenge, not a life or death threat assessing pressure as a threat destabilizes the self- confidence, stimulates fear of failure. So, you can try shifting your thoughts: instead of seeing as a danger, see it as a challenge.
You can remind yourself that it is just one of many opportunities. Is this high-pressure situation a better opportunity? Of course! Is this the only opportunity you will ever have for the rest of your life? Probably not!
Focus on the task, not the outcome, which means evolving a tunnel vision, as, when you are keeping your eye on the task at hand, all you can see is the necessary steps to outshine.
Be prepared or planned for the worst. “What-if” situations can be your friend. By permitting yourself play out the worst-case consequences, you are able to brace yourself for them.
Take control in pressure moments. There are factors which you can get over and factors you can’t. But when you emphasize on those uncontrollable situations, you end up escalating the pressure, growing your anxiety, and ultimately discouraging your confidence, what you need to do is to focus on the factors you can control.
Reminding back to your past successes ignites confidence. “You did it before, and you can do it again.”
Be positive before and during high-pressure moments -“Belief in a positive outcome can prevent you from anxiety that can drain and distract your working memory.
Get in touch with your senses as when you are under a deadline and the world feels like it’s crashing in, you are mostly likely to make careless errors — slips you never would have committed the error if you’d felt on top of the situation.
Listen to music — by listening to your favorite music, you will be able to distract yourself from your anxiety.
You can create a pre-performance routine that you can go through in the minutes before you present or perform.
It is natural to speed up your thinking in high-pressure situations. So, slow down & provide yourself some time to breathe and formulate a plan. You will think more flexibly, creatively, and attentively, ultimately your work will be all the better for it.
Telling someone else about the pressure you are feeling has been proven to reduce anxiety and stress. Sharing your feelings lets you to “examine them, encounter their reality, and view a pressure situation in a realistic manner.”
Conclusion
You should recall how many times you have told yourself that if only you had further time, you could have performed much better! If your life is really about creating a better you, then to work well on time and with attention is a discipline you must learn in order to attain the best you have to offer.
