How To Remain Calm Under Pressure

By Ashley Stahl, Originally Published in Forbes

You’ve just been handed yet another major project to add into your crazy travel schedule, and an inbox so full that you’re scared to open it.

No wonder you feel like pulling your hair out, and you’re noticing a couple of new greys come in.?This all likely sounds more familiar than you probably want to admit.?

The problem with this sort of chronic pressure is that it can seriously impair your work, health, and personal relationships. In one study, 94% of workers reported feeling highly stressed at work, and this problem doesn’t stop at the office. Roughly 54% of these employees said they take the workplace pressure home with them at least once a week, triggering a negative effect on their personal life.

This level of emotional disruption makes sense when you understand brain science. While under pressure, the prefrontal cortex, the area of your brain responsible for executive function, stops working the way it should and results in disrupted emotion. Your ability to control thoughts, emotions, and behaviors goes haywire and in a way, we revert back to our younger teen selves. This means that your work suffers, and you’ll do things you may later regret, a clear sign that it’s time to take a self-audit on your work life.

In an effort to keep this all at bay, here are three actions you can start taking right away to improve your time in the office, as well as your quality of life when pressure comes up at work.

1. Take a step back and breathe.

When you first hear news of a tighter deadline, or you read an overwhelming email, the last thing on your mind is taking a break. Nonetheless, it is usually the best thing you can do—not just for yourself, but for your work output. How you breathe plays a major role in your ability to self stabilize when a stressful moment arises. Begin to center yourself around focused deep breathing.??

According to Harvard Health Publishing proper deep breathing isn’t normal in society since an expanded belly doesn’t provide that flattering slim look we all strive for.? As a result, most of us walk around with shallow breathing only into our chest, sucking in so that we look lean.Crazy, right?

The upside of deep belly breathing is it welcomes full expansion of the diagram to fill with oxygenated air, making your breaths switch from short and anxious to full and calming inhales.?This practice can slow the heart rate, and will lower or stabilize blood pressure .??

Practice this by finding a quiet space to sit or lie down where no one will bother you, this could be a break-out conference room, your car or if you have only a few minutes to spare, the bathroom. Close your eyes and breathe in through your nose. Let your lungs fill with air and allow your abdomen to expand fully. Hold it for a moment and then purse your lips as though you are breathing through a straw and exhale slowly through your mouth.?

Once you take a few minutes to breathe, your nervous system will calm down so approaching a high-pressure system won’t feel so overbearing.?

2. Surround yourself with the right people.

Write down a list of the people you spend time with at work, as well as one for the people you spend time with in your personal life. Put a star next to the ones that make you feel expansive and give you energy, and take note: did everyone get a star from you? Chances are not so much. The people who give you energy and add to your life are sacred, but yes, sometimes we don’t get to choose who we work with.?

Know that energy isn’t really a neutral thing. That means someone is either adding energy to your world, or you’re “putting up with” them, which is an energy leak in its own right. Do all you can to maintain professionalism and remove yourself from any additional means of interaction. One of the biggest heartbreakers I know to be true is that people don’t leave jobs; they leave their bosses.?When asked why employees leave, 57% report it being due to their bosses.?People don’t quit companies, they quit people.

If you have the strength, set a boundary during a draining conversation and state something along the lines of, “These are all valid concerns, and I would love to now focus on a positive solution…” and then shift the conversation towards taking action. When you set professional boundaries and honor your well-being, you’ll build confidence and relieve some of that overwhelming stress.

Instead of avoiding negative people, look to bring in or be surrounded by more positive people.?Chances are, that draining person won’t be able to fight through all the uplifting words to sprinkle in their anxious energy. In the long run, this may help them as well.

3. Break demands down into manageable tasks.

“How do you eat an elephant?...one bite at a time.”??

This phrase used to drive me crazy, and while I hope no one is out there eating any elephants, I must admit, it’s true. Giant projects are the culmination of tiny little tasks added up together, so instead of getting intimidated or overwhelmed by the idea of the project, focus on single actions you can make.

It’s about time people stopped trying to multitask, because according to research, no one is good at it. Based on cognitive studies , multitaskers do less, miss information and have a 40% drop in efficiency.? When you slow down, it is easier to become fully present and engaged in what is in front of you. I often tell my career coaching clients that if they want to speed up in their career, they need to slow down. This means really making decisions and setting timelines from a responsive place, not a reactive one. Spend some time upfront breaking your large project down into tiny to-do’s and deadlines. Then review this list, and tackle one task after another.?

Completing these small tasks will build your motivation to continue, and help you see the project from a different perspective. A to-do list not only helps show you what needs to be done, but acts as a reminder of all the things you already have done. According to the Zaigarnik effect, we remember steps we need to take better than? steps we’ve already taken, so once something is done, your confidence and motivation can dip if you forget to acknowledge your progress and simply stare at the continuing mountain ahead.?

Along with breaking things down, don’t invite interruptions into your execution for each task.?Studies have found that it takes an average of 26 minutes for someone to fully reintegrate into their task after an interruption. So know this: all those inbox dings, social media notifications and coworkers popping by your desk could be taking precious time away from when you could be working.

Take responsibility for how you respond to the happenings in your life. You have a choice, choose to take control and walk into high-pressure situations with confidence and excitement.

For a FREE course to land a new job you love, launch your dream business, or find your purpose, visit https://ashleystahl.com/