Fight or Flight - How to respond under pressure

With the advancement of globalization as businesses are flourishing in the form of start ups and tech companies, often we fail to realize "it did not happen over night or just like that". There are people behind it who holds a vision and an army of enthusiasts who turn their days into nights and nights into days on a mission to achieve the vision. While the businesses, visions and missions can be different and unique from one another, one common thing in all of them is "Pressure".

Now in today's world even though the word "Pressure" is as normal as the "Waking up every morning", a lot of us fail to react appropriately while being faced with a pressure situation and resulting in high burnout rates and employee dissatisfaction. Some start contemplating on their jobs and some may even quit. And you will find a lot of articles and motivational speeches on the internet on how to manage stress, work under pressure and succeed. So, why am I writing this? Because this is what we say in our native language , "???? ???? ??????" (Real Life Experience).

As I was just getting comfortable with my 10-6, 5 Days a week job, I was challenged with a new role which is everything beyond 10-6 and 5 Days a week. Now I have to admit I did contemplate on it like any comfortable jobholder would do but where does it take me. I asked myself, am I afraid? Can I not do it? And even if I am, can I not overcome it? Yes, I can try! So, I started working on my new assignment. Even though I am not fond of reading very much, i often go back to reading for self awareness and educations and found few things that helped me getting hold of the pressure situation that I was put into and now I would like to share them with you all.

An Execution Plan

Preparing an execution plan would be the first step to counter your pressure situation. So, I took a step back, tried to see the bigger picture and plan accordingly. Now, it might take a bit of time to come up with an appropriate plan and execute accordingly. But trust me when I say this, when you have planned it well enough, execution will be much faster and smoother. And if your plan A fails, go to plan B. One thing certain, without a plan you won't be going anywhere.

Pause to Procrastination

When faced with a pressure situation, prompt reactions will help you move forward but procrastination will not. It will keep building the pressure and you will find yourself with more and more unfinished or due tasks. Block future possibilities and act now on the present and you might find your head free from worrying about what you have to get done. One of my very close friends once suggested me a video from Ted Talks about procrastination and now I'm sharing it with you because this is I think one of the most fascinating videos I have found on the internet about Procrastination. Well to be honest i'm not completely over procrastination but it helped me and i'm sure it'll help you too. Inside the Mind of a Master Procrastinator | Tim Urban | TED

Prioritizing Task X Eisenhower Model

We all understand prioritizing but I learnt about the Eisenhower Model a few days ago as I was skimming through some study materials. While juggling between multiple urgent and critical tasks we might face a situation where we don't understand which task needs immediate attention and which can wait, you can use Eisenhower Model. The Eisenhower Model consists?of four easy steps to prioritize each:

1. Urgent and important ?
2. Important but not urgent
3. Urgent but not important
4. Neither urgent nor important

Perform the urgent and immediate tasks first. Tasks that are?not urgent with no priority fall off the list. It's an amazing way to ease the pressure.

You can read more about the Eisenhower Model here.

Staying Positive/Perceiving the situation as an opportunity to grow

As Kelly Clarkson wrote in her song "Stronger", "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, What doesn't kill you makes a fighter". I firmly believe in it. I think it applies for all the spheres of our lives, be it personal or professional. If we push through a situation we did not think we could, it gives a sense of accomplishment every time we push beyond the limits. The key is to take on the challenge. And no, my assignment is not complete but now I can say i'm on the right track and I can do it and so can everybody else. You just have to believe and push through.

Understand Expectation and Purpose/Build a Legacy

Get a clear understanding of what is expected of you and once you deliver a task, the outcome you are getting. Is it solving a problem? Is it helping someone? Is it helping your company/business? Focus on building a legacy rather than just getting in and getting out everyday. The sense of 10 people looking up to you will trigger your fight or flight instincts.

While there are plenty of ways/methods to tackle a pressure situation and respond, these are some vital ones that is keeping me going everyday.

If you want you can read about these more from the articles below -

https://guthriejensen.com/blog/how-to-handle-stress-pressure-at-work/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2017/07/28/18-ways-to-get-better-at-working-under-pressure/?sh=412909302e35

https://www.integritystaffing.com/blog/6-ways-to-handle-work-pressure/