How to avoid pressure?
People can struggle at doing tasks under pressure. There is even a theory that our performance suffers when our thinking is distracted by worries, doubts, or fears. It affects our focus in a negative way which causes worse performance. This video explains how pressure may affect us and how to avoid it.
1. Do you have those kinds of struggles when pressure occures?
2. Can you handle performing under pressure? If you are able to do this, can you explain how you approach these situations?
3. Which common activities in your life are the ones that put you in stressful position?
Comments
Yes, I get very nervous when I am under pressure. That’s why I think that exams and tests in school are meanless. I think grading students shouldn't be pressured. I was under pressure in high school all the time. I was in math class and our teacher thought that under pressure, she will better test our skills. But for me, it’s just didn’t’ worked. I made mistakes all the time and I got bad grades, even if I was well prepared.
2. Can you handle performing under pressure? If you are able to do this, can you explain how you approach these situations?
Now I have problems with the presentations. I got nervous and my presentations not as good as they can be. Also, I have problems, when I have an important conversation, for example, a job interview. I haven’t completely solved that problem yet, so I can’t say how I approach these situations.
3. Which common activities in your life are the ones that put you in stressful position?
Unfortunately, too many activities are stressful for me. Sometimes, if have too many tasks to do at the same time I feel scared and I fail to do either of them. Because I’m a perfectionist I can’t just let it go and I must do everything the best I can. Also as I said, presentations, exams job interviews. The last point causes the most trouble. I’m just 20, and employers often don’t trust my abilities. So when I get nervous in the job interview, they just don’t trust me.
2. Well as I described in the first answer, I do perform terribly in front of people but I try to teach myself to become better at it. In any other scenario, I think I perform quite well under pressure. For example, working on multiply projects at the same time. That's actually something that I love. Approaching deadlines also don't put a lot of pressure on me.
3. I'm not sure if that counts as a common activity but I might feel pressured in situations where a lot needs to be done, but I can't finish the task because I'm waiting for someone's response/finishing their part. And especially if I have multiple tasks in a day and they ALL require someone's response in order to be finished. Or another situation is where plans change super quickly and the decision needs to be made on the spot. I'm a control freak and situations like this I just hate with my whole soul. But what always helps is just to remember to breathe, write everything down, or to tell somebody the new plan(sometimes even myself but the most important is to say it out loud).
Yes, I have some kinds of struggles mentioned in the video. For example, distraction or chocking. Sometimes at school, I have overstudied (for example, a poem), and when it was time to recite a verse I had nothing at my mind. Also, when I need to present something to a group of other people I become extremely nervous, that sometimes I can not even remember how the presentation passed. 😅
But, what is surprising, I have never been nervous while any exams. Maybe a half an hour before but never during them. I do not know how it works.
2. Can you handle performing under pressure? If you are able to do this, can you explain how you approach these situations?
I think I can sometimes handle performing under pressure. For example, one of the tips that helps me is to imagine, that it is not me who talk to the group of people and present something or answering a job interview. This attends to avoid the feeling of being negatively judged by others.
Also, a good tip to reduce the stress of public speaking is to make some exercises before. It helps your mind to focus on your body instead of paying attention to fear.
3. Which common activities in your life are the ones that put you in a stressful position?
I am a very worrying person and unfortunately feel anxious and stress often. As I have already mentioned, it is public presentations while the process of studying. Also, it can be a situation when I have some big tasks to do and can not just rest from thoughts about it during the day (even when a deadline is far away).
It is sad, that I am very nice driver. Just exam pressure makes me so much nervous :(
I am terrible at performing under pressure. I speak very fast and avoid a lot of things which I prepared before, just to end it quickly. Actually right now I noticed how much stress own my decisions in particular situations. That sucks. I need to do something about it. Maybe those “rituals” mentioned in the video would be helpful.
Every exams, public presentations, sometimes even when I try to tell a story in front of colleges, which I don’t know very well. I guess I am just afraid to get judged. But who isn’t?
Of course I have events that create pressure. First of all, work - doing tasks within a limited time limit. The second activity is sports competition. Together with my friends we play football in the fan league. Everyone plays under pressure and wants to win, I think that despite the fact that he is in an important position - central defender, I can handle the pressure quite well :)
2. Can you handle performing under pressure? If you are able to do this, can you explain how you approach these situations?
When I was younger, stress paralyzed me, I couldn't concentrate and do nothing. Now I have a different approach, stress makes you excited. Even though I do not like stress, it causes me to act much more just to feel comfortable. For example, my promoter at the beginning of January was not satisfied with my diploma thesis, I was very stressed that I would not be able to make corrections on time. Stress made me want to act and all the corrections were made in two days and the work was approved. It seems to me that I get dramatic because of my stress.
3. Which common activities in your life are the ones that put you in stressful position?
Situations that make me stress are deadlines at work, playing football in the amateur league, playing football in the amateur league, supporting, that he wants to win, wants to subscribe, depends on winning 😊 In addition, stress is not going to my thoughts, or someone criticizes me. Besides, I don't feel any stress.
Yes I do, whenever I can feel pressure I struggle with focusing on the task I have to do even if it is a simple task. I start overthinking if I made everything correct, checking over and over again which makes the whole process much longer than anusual.
2. Can you handle performing under pressure? If you are able to do this, can you explain how you approach these situations?
Actually I do not have any checked method or ritual. Many times before some important event I hide in the toilet where noone can see me and there I try to calm and prepare myself.
3. Which common activities in your life are the ones that put you in stressful position?
Especially I am a last year student I would say job interviews. Very often during interviews I am asked to do some math or programming tasks. They are basic tasks not very hard. But because there is a time limit and people who are observing me it makes everything harder.
Unfortunately, I have those kinds of struggles when pressure occurs. I have difficulties remembering my own name when I am stressed. That is why I am really bad in job interviews - my body shakes and I am not able to answer any questions. I have the same issue during the oral exams.
2. Can you handle performing under pressure? If you are able to do this, can you explain how you approach these situations?
My work helped me to handle performing under pressure. I am not as shy person as 1.5 years ago. I notice that no one is perfect. I started to repeat to myself „People make mistakes. Would it be so horrible if I make one too?”. It changed my attitude a little bit - calls from work do not stress me anymore. I also try to take some deep breaths before stressful situations.
3. Which common activities in your life are the ones that put you in a stressful position?
As I said before, calls at work made me stressed (not anymore). I also feel put in a stressful situation when someone calls me - I do not like speaking on the phone. To sum up I think that all kinds of public speeches make me feel uncomfortable.
As i said it has been a battle earlier. I can frankly say I was palsied when I thought about performing in front of the people. Now I know how to set my mind for these kinds of situations. I treat it as a training, as a rehearsal. That’s what I once heard as a tip for the stress. Also, I realised that it is not wrong to be stressed about performing. Well, it proves you care about what you represent. And that’s the good thing. Mindset for me is crucial. That makes me less stressed about and more confident about myself.
There are several situations that can be potentially stressful. That happens all the time, especially when you are ambitious and you challenge yourself all the time. However, I do not treat stress as a fun, a great thing to feel. That is nothing pleasant in feeling stressed. I would say that most of the time I feel stressed when it comes to my work or studies.
2. I can perform under pressure. I had such experience in my past, so I can say I just got used to it. “Practise makes perfect” and I agree with that.
3. I don’t like being in a countryside. This could sound strange, but I feel extreme amount of stress when I am lost in the middle of nowhere. A space without any shops, without any urban infrastructure is a true nightmare for me. I feel trapped in such places. I love living in a big city so much.
Yes, all the time. And I think this is common for mostly all people.
2. Can you handle performing under pressure? If you are able to do this, can you explain how you approach these situations?
Sometimes I can, sometimes I can't. But the top tip is to try to just focus on what you are doing now, instead of thinking too much about how you look or how you feel right now.
3. Which common activities in your life are the ones that put you in stressful position?
Sometimes voice calls or job interviews. But I prefer to avoid situations where I feel so stressed.
2. I am if there's no public scoring in the end. When I know, my score or result will be private, I find it easier to concentrate and 'trust my guts' if needed.
Also it's often about keeping in mind what you're doing it for. If it's all worth it, you'll figure it out!
3. It's mostly my work tasks that come in the wrong time - like when the work day is almost over or when my teammate is out of office and I am responsible for both of us. It also may be quite stressful when we have a tremendous agenda over the weekend with my friend and family - even though there's nothing difficult to do, a big variety of events and tasks may be overwhelming for me. On days like this I just want to stop doing whatever, get away from everyone and play videogames or watch tv shows, honestly.