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5 ways to deal with pressure at work

It’s Monday and I’m sitting at my desk looking at the many things I have to tick off my to-do-list; some of them are time bound while the others are not. I don’t know if I will be able to tick them all off today but I am going to put in my best to see that I get them completed. As this might be my case; it is different with some people who may have deadlines that are tied to their salary or a deadline that threatens their job.

As a new week approaches, it comes with uncertainties as to what the week will unfold. Mondays are usually the days for meetings and strategy/brainstorming sessions; for some people Mondays bring the pressure of showing performance for the last week. Many get trashed with harsh words for low performance; some are discouraged and others are just neutral. Entrepreneurs and business owners are not left out because they also have to make plans for the week if they still want to be in business and make profit.

With the pressure to perform; meet deadlines, meet target and seal deals at work, how does one survive? From experience, these are the things I do so I don’t go crazy when the pressure sets in.

Keep an inspirational quotes calendar- keep this on your desk and read it every day. For example; today, mine says “Empower me today, Renew me today and grant me the grace to rise above the vices of life”. These words help to keep you in good spirit if you make a conscious effort to look at them during the course of the day.

Have a positive spirit – for example, if something negative happened during the day and weighs you down, you can think of something positive in your life or around you and focus your thoughts on it. For example, I heard a bad news when I got to work and felt really sad. As if that was not enough, I received an email giving me an unpleasant information; imagine how I felt. Well, I have been thinking of all the positive things God has done for me this year; I even remembered some things that made me laugh like my mum’s jokes and I feel better.

Develop a thick skin – honestly, if you are going to react to everything and anything people say to you at work, then you’re going to give yourself a headache and maybe heart attack. When people speak to you at work, learn to sift the words as they come into your ears. Take the words you need for self-development and work improvement; the negative ones that may make you sad and don’t add value should be thrown out. So don’t dwell on it, just grow a thick skin and keep smiling through.

Emotional Intelligence – this is very vital for survival in the work place. It helps you to understand other people’s emotions and know how to speak to and respond to them. The work place has a mix of the calm, irate and hyper-active people. When under pressure, you may want to consult Mr. emotional intelligence to guide you on how to speak to that team member or supervisor so you don’t start another World War 2.

Take a 15 minutes walk – sometime sit’s good to take a walk from your desk and clear your head. If you work upstairs, you may want to go downstairs and vice versa. Alternatively, you can just take a walk outside of the office and refresh your mind before going back to the office. Research studies have shown that short walks at work can perceptibly — and immediately — increase productivity and creativity. It also boosts a person’s moods and ability to handle stress at work.

So, this is what I do to survive the pressure – have you tried any of these? If yes, how did it help? If no, you may want to try it. Let me know your thoughts in the comment section.

Have a great week ahead.

Written by Lynda Omerekpe

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