Managing Pressure and Stress

I noticed on the Health and Safety Executive’s web site that the HSE estimate that in 2009 / 10, 9.8 million working days were lost through work-related stress, which equates to an annual loss of 0.42 days per worker. Indeed, other reports suggest that around 400,000 people in the UK admit to experiencing work-related stress. All of this amounts to a lot of people suffering from a range of symptoms such as poor sleeping patterns, sweating, and lack of appetite right up to mental health problems such as depression.

But what can we do about stress in a busy world where we are living in an ever changing environment?

My own view is that it is important to first differentiate between pressure and stress. Stress is the feeling of being under pressure. Some pressure in our lives is important because it can be stimulating and motivating and can help us to increase our productivity and improve our performance. However, if we have too much pressure or prolonged pressure over a period of time that exceeds our ability to cope, it can lead to stress.

This is an important point because while we will all experience unexpected and extreme pressure at various points in our lives, perhaps due to a family bereavement or significant illness, I believe that the majority of the stress I and many others experience are within our control to reduce and manage.

For example, probably one of the biggest causes of pressure (and consequently stress) we have is ourselves. Too often we set unrealistic expectations for our self (and other people) because we want to be the high achieving manager, be the perfect parent and have perfect a relationship with our spouse.

The following therefore are some tips I use to reduce both pressure and stress and hopefully you can use them in your life too.

1. Re-evaluate the expectations you have of yourself. What is it you really want to achieve? Are the expectations you have realistic?
2. Have a ‘to do’ list. This will enable you to evaluate whether you really have ‘too much to do’ or whether you are simply ‘doing too much’, (which may mean you have to say ‘no’ more often!). You can also make sure that you finish one task before starting the next one.
3. Recognise what you achieve. Strike things off your to do list after having completed them. At the end of the day, review how productive you were – it will give you a great deal more satisfaction.
4. Don’t compare yourself to others. Comparing yourself unfavourably with other people can be a strong source of internal stress. Learn to enjoy your personal qualities and achievements.
5. Make time for yourself and protect that time. This could be having lunch with friends, reading, going to the gym - whatever you enjoy doing.
6. Aim for 30 minutes of physical activity 4/5 five times a week. Physical activity is an excellent way of relieving tension as well as releasing endorphins in to your body.
7. Share your concerns with a colleague, boss, friends or family. The old adage of a problem shared is a problem halved is true.
8. Get a good night sleep, and learn to relax. Avoid caffeinated drinks, alcohol, and using the computer or watching TV too close to bedtime.
9. Use your time more efficiently. For example do you spend a lot of time travelling by car? Would you benefit from using public transport more to complete work that you would otherwise complete after your drive.
10. Learn to meditate. Try to meditate for at least 15 minutes a day. Recent research suggests that regular meditation reduces stress.

Please try some of the above and see how much of a difference they make to you.

However, the final word on the matter should probably go to Alcoholics Anonymous who have the maxim:

‘God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference’