Stress and Motivation: How Pressure Affects People Differently & 7 Keys to Dealing With It

We have all been there. The deadline is looming, and we have barely begun to work. We all recognize that feeling in the pit of our stomach as we settle down to work. But does pressure have to lead to stress? And what does stress do to our motivation and focus?

Stressed Sick

We know that stress from psychological pressure affects our bodies. It leads to higher blood pressure, anxiety, and a host of other symptoms. It also makes it hard to concentrate on the task at hand. If you are feeling pressure at work, and it is leading to stress, then you are not at your most effective. You might be missing deadlines or making mistakes, or even worried yourself sick and had to take a personal day. All these things can be caused by stress from psychological pressure.

Mounting Motivation

Motivation under pressure is an excellent skill to have, but like other skills, it takes practice to get better. This website is full of positive suggestions and helpful hints for getting better at handling stress caused by pressure. The most important thing you can do is learn to cope because with positive coping mechanisms we see the stress melt away, and in its place, there are a host of positive benefits of working under pressure.

Performing Under Pressure

When you have mastered your stress levels and learn to perform under pressure you might notice a few things. You will keep a cooler head in demanding situations, thinking clearly when others around you are flailing wildly at the thought of some terrible outcome. You will notice that your leadership skills improve and that people turn to you in a crisis. You might also see that you perform better under pressure, because of the positive coping mechanisms that you have mastered.

People who perform under pressure are in huge demand in every industry. Whether you are at the office or behind a counter, performance under stress will lead to promotions and positive feedback. Every employer on Earth wants to find someone who can keep a cool head under pressure, and with a little bit of practice and some positive habits that someone could easily be you.

Easy Steps to Visualize Your Way to Less Pressure

The fast pace of life and the never-ending pressure to meet deadlines is the leading cause of stress-related conditions. The workplace has also become a high-pressure environment with employers demanding more from their workers. The rising costs of living do not make things any easier. Faced with so much pressure, you must find ways of coping with the strain.

Fortunately, you do not need to spend a lot of money on therapy. You can simply learn how to use visualization to deal with the intense pressure. Visualization refers to the process of creating images in your mind and seeing them so clearly to the point they seem real. It is possible for you to learn visualization techniques and change your life within a brief time.

If you have decided to visualize your way to less pressure, there are a few steps you can take towards achieving that goal. The first step involves deciding exactly what you want to achieve. In this case, let us assume that your goal is to visualize yourself experiencing less pressure as you go about your life. Once you set your goal, take a moment to write the goal down. Writing the goal tends to make visualization easier.

Having written your goal for seeing yourself having less pressure in life, you need to start seeing yourself enjoying your job and everything else you do without any stress. In the beginning, it may be hard to even generate the emotions that make you feel free and relaxed. With practice, you will be able to feel that you are above the pressure and that it no longer gets to you.

Every time you want to get in the visualization mood, you will need to learn to free your mind of the many thoughts that keep you feeling like you are under pressure. To relax your mind, you may want to sit in your favorite spot in the park or do an activity that relaxes you such as listening to soft music. Over time, you will find that it will gradually become easier for you to relax and be able to visualize yourself breezing through life without being affected by pressure.

An important part of the visualization process is to repeat some words over and over in your mind until you believe them. You can repeat something like ''I am in control of my life and I will always be relaxed no matter how tough it gets." In the beginning you will not believe the words, but you will soon learn that the things your inner voice keeps repeating soon become a reality.

I did this very thing during a time when I was a homeless veteran. There is a tendency for homeless folks to allow those homeless circumstances to become their identity. Then everything they say and do is exactly how and is expected, of a homeless person. Changing this required becoming intentional. So I had to be intentional with my words. If I was going to change my circumstances, I had to change my thinking for different results. So be intentional with each word that departs from your mouth.

7 Simple Tricks for Dealing with Pressure

If you are not careful, pressure can sneak up and overwhelm you. Before you know it, you are a mess. Sitting in your chair, sweating, heart racing, and dreading the thought of doing any work. Fortunately, there are some tricks to dealing with pressure. With a little practice, you can turn nerve-wracking stress into pure motivation.

1. Count Backward

It sounds simple but counting backward from 100 is a wonderful way to distract yourself from pressure and reset your mindset. This easy trick is the perfect way to get started doing a task that you have been putting off. Simply sit back, close your eyes, and count backward thinking only of the numbers instead of what is stressing you out.

2. Meditation or Prayer

Meditation or prayer, whichever you choose is an excellent way to relieve stress according to many medical studies. Anytime you can clear your mind from all thought and concentrating on your breathing leaves no room in your head to fixate and focus on what is bothering you. Learning to meditate or pray is one of the best ways to beat chronic stress and the overwhelming pressure that there is.

3. Exercise

Nothing works like exercise when it comes to dealing with pressure. Not only does the act itself take your mind off whatever is stressing you out, but it also helps your brain to release positive endorphins that can make you feel great. People who exercise regularly report feeling less stress and pressure at work and at home. I know for my wife and me, a regular morning walk really helps set the tone for our day.

4. Believe in Yourself

Positive thinking can be one of the most powerful tools at your disposal. The simple act of believing in yourself and knowing that you are doing your best is a fantastic way to turn pressure into motivation. The next time you are faced with overwhelming pressure, tell yourself that you can do it. Whatever tasks lay before you, think positively about them and envision yourself completing them.

5. Enjoy What You Do

It never hurts to enjoy what you do, although this can be a difficult way of dealing with pressure. Look for the little things in the task that you like doing and complete them. You will find that once you start working, you're motivated to keep going. People who enjoy their jobs report feeling less pressure and higher levels of motivation than those who do not like what they do for a living.

6. Stand Up and Take a Break

If nothing else is working, then stand up and take a break. Taking 5 minutes for yourself every hour is a terrific way to reset and refocus on the task at hand. Studies have shown that people who socialize at work, or even just stand up and stretch their legs, get more done than those who sit at their desk worrying over the task at hand.

7. Choose Your Snacks Wisely

I am not going to do a deep dive into healthy eating or dieting here. But, because of the Gut-Brain connection, which I encourage you to Google, what we choose to put into our stomachs is critical for brain function. We choose whether we want our brain fueled with foods that make us sharper and high-performance people, or folks with sluggish brains. What goes into your stomach is going to affect your brain, therefore will affect your thinking process. Here is a great article by Olivia Tarantino on 22 Best and Worst Foods for Stress.