11 Useful Tips to Avoid Working Under Pressure

Avatar of Shaimaa Olwan
Updated on: Educator Review By: Michelle Connolly

Whatever job you are in, it is likely that sometimes you suffer from work pressure, even if you love what you do, whether it is dealing with an annoying client, a demanding boss, or when tight deadlines. These are all moments when work pressure is at its height. Light work pressure is not a problem, sometimes, it can motivate and bring out the best in you.

If you feel that work pressures are draining your energy and affecting your professional and personal path, you should look for solutions to eliminate or mitigate those pressures. No matter what you do for a living or how stressful your work is, you can do plenty of things to lower your stress levels. Your burden is even part of those pressures.

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Working Under Pressure

Everyone deals with stress, whether in their personal or professional lives. Stress in the work environment manifests itself in the form of tight deadlines, rushing requests from managers, problems with other employees’ performance, or any obstacles that stand in the way of completing tasks perfectly. Since it is impossible to avoid work pressure, it has become essential to acquire work skills in its presence, or what is known as work under pressure skills. So what are these skills? How can you acquire and enhance it?

What is work pressure?

It is a state of physical exhaustion and psychological stress related to work which results from several accumulations and pressures that are incompatible with the employee’s skills. This will limit their ability to handle these accumulations and pressures and finally result in job burnout.

The stress that appears when the demands and tasks of work become more than your ability to deal with affects your physical and psychological health and your relationships and personal life. Work pressure is not a rare phenomenon, as some studies estimate that the percentage of employees who suffer from work pressure reaches 80%, of whom 40% suffer from severe work pressure.

Are humans able to work under pressure?

It is known that most people can perform work under pressure by adapting to accomplish complex tasks and succeeding in their performance. Therefore, stress may be a positive factor in most cases, despite its adverse effects on some. The key to success may be fairly evaluating oneself and thinking about solutions to problems instead of searching for the problem itself and knowing the limits of a person’s energy.

A good evaluation gives a more significant opportunity to accomplish the work, but sometimes the pressure is an obstacle to performing the various tasks due to increased stress and its reach to the point of danger.

Serious signs of stress at work

We mentioned that working under pressure is not usually a good thing. However, the increase in pressure and stress may cause a lack of confidence, irritability, and the inability to perform various tasks. Among the most important signs of increased stress:

  1. Anxiety, nervousness, or depression.
  2. Apathy, lethargy and loss of interest in work.
  3. Sleeping problems.
  4. Fatigue.
  5. Difficulty concentrating.
  6. Muscle tension or headache.
  7. Stomach problems.
  8. Social withdrawal.
  9. Depressed mood.
  10. Loss of confidence or feeling angry and irritable.
  11. Weight gain or loss.
  12. Teeth grinding.
  13. Panic attacks.
  14. Sweating of the hands or feet.
  15. Nausea.
  16. Obsessive-compulsive disorder.
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Sleeping Problems

What are the skills that help relieve the pressure at work?

It is a term that means that the individual has the ability to deal with the problems and pressures he faces at work and helps him to overcome difficulties and obstacles and develop his abilities to complete the work optimally and at the required speed. The importance of this skill lies in bringing about a set of changes in the work environment in general. This is the reason for permanent research About people who possess this skill and can deal with pressure well and professionally.

Here we will talk about some essential skills that can be acquired to improve the quality of work and deal with pressure better, such as:

1.      Good Planning

The business must be well planned and attempts to change plans if they fail at a particular stage. The person must also have the ability to change paths accurately, the ability to find alternatives promptly, and the flexibility to face challenging and unexpected matters.

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2.      Control Your Reactions

The skill of self-control and control of responses must be acquired in the face of various challenges, understanding complex situations and finding solutions to problems, and this applies to personal situations and work pressure as the reactions are the same in all situations. Therefore, one must train oneself to deal with minor pressure in order to improve the ability to deal with greater pressures.

3.      Maintaining Calmness

One of the most critical skills that must be acquired is self-control and calmness in situations of stress. This is considered the most important sign for a professional person who can control his emotions in difficult situations. because his calmness will inevitably affect the entire team, and some steps can be taken to help calm and self-control; Among them are mentioned:

  • Deep breathing several times before doing anything.
  • Take enough time before reacting; it can count from 1-10.
  • Watching something funny or thinking something funny to change the mood.
  • Doing anything entertaining for a few minutes is far from stress or problem.
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A Girl is Watching Something Funny

4.      Focusing on Daily Duties

Everyone is exposed to psychological pressure and getting into trouble, but this does not negate the focus on daily duties and tasks that must be completed. Instead of focusing on the size of the problem and pressure, the focus can be maintained by following the following methods:

  • Define tasks, write them down, and put them clearly in front of the eye.
  • Separate yourself from the outside world by sitting in a private place, putting on earphones, and listening to something specific.
  • Getting rid of the various distractions that affect the completion of the work, including mobile phone or social media alerts.
  • Determine periods of continuous work to range between 30-90 minutes, interspersed with a 10-minute break, for example.
  • Avoid quarrels by avoiding talking about the causes of problems and pressures. Avoid quarrels and drama that drain time and effort and focus on getting work done.

5.      Asking for Help

A team member can be asked to help with various tasks instead of wasting time trying to solve intractable problems. Part of your responsibility as an employee of a particular company involves protecting the interests of the company. So, if you encounter any difficult situation or are unable to complete a certain task promptly, do not hesitate to ask one of your colleagues for help.

If you discover a specific problem during the stress period, immediately report it to the specialised team. This matter shows your ability to think correctly during difficult situations and raises your value to employers.

6.      Help Colleagues Under Pressure

 When you can keep your nerves calm and focus on your main tasks, you will likely finish your work before others. Give a helping hand to your colleagues under a lot of pressure, as you can help them print files or prepare a cup of tea for them or others. Think of simple actions that will make them feel better and relieve their stress.

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Help Colleagues Under Pressure

7.      Stay Away from Drama

During the stress period, quarrels and disagreements abound, accompanied by drama and problems. So be aware of this and avoid getting yourself involved in it. Instead of dwelling on badmouthing your boss, who puts you and your team under pressure, think positively and see it as a sign of your boss’s trust in you and as an opportunity for growth and development. And measure the various situations associated with drama in the workplace.

8.      Take Appropriate Breaks

During times of stress and tension at work, you may find the idea of ​​taking a break absurd and inappropriate. However, it is the best thing you can do. This is the best time to take a few minutes of rest. Take a short walk around your office, or take a walk for a few minutes in a nearby park. Make yourself a snack or talk to a friend for a while. Get yourself out of the work atmosphere completely, then return to it after some time with a new self and positive feelings, guaranteeing a better performance.

9.      Make Good Use of Your Vacations

There are, of course, times when you need to take emergency leave, such as sickness, but this is not what we are talking about here. Instead, we mean the usual annual leave. Plan your vacations smartly, and make sure to take them at times when your company is not experiencing a lot of work pressure. In times when the pressure is excellent, it is better to avoid taking vacations. Your manager will appreciate this gesture, and who knows, your commitment may lead to a promotion in your work or a financial reward as a reward for your excellent handling of pressure.

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Happy woman sitting in the car and traveling summer season on the sea resting and special day to vacation

10.  Do not Show Your Stress to Others

If you are under a lot of stress, and you feel stressed as a result, try as much as possible not to let your stress show to the surface. Focus on doing your tasks and finishing them no matter how you feel. Because showing your negative feelings and talking about them will bring you more negative thoughts and drown you in a spiral that you are indispensable. Focusing on your work will make you forget about your anxiety and tension and contribute to achieving some progress and thus overcoming part of the pressure you feel.

Rehearsing the previous steps and continuing to practice them will gain you the skill of dealing with pressure over time. Not only that, but it will also make those responsible for you at work more confident in you and your responsibility, which is crucial when making promotion and bonus decisions. An employee who can work under pressure succeeds in reaching higher ranks and achieving distinguished career progression.

11.  Change Your View of Work Pressure

All you have to do is change your view of work pressure and look at it positively instead of being a heavy concern that is impossible for you to get rid of. Also, making sure to start the day correctly will avoid a lot of stress and pressure.

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Change Your View of Work Pressure

The benefits of reducing stress at work

Preventing stress is not only to avoid working under pressure, but it has various benefits represented in:

  1. Reducing symptoms of physical and mental health.
  2. Reducing injuries and diseases for workers, thus reducing vacations and lost time.
  3. Increased productivity thanks to improved psychological state.
  4. Increase job satisfaction and improve the quality of performance.
  5. Promote volunteering and participation in various activities.
  6. Increasing the welfare of society, starting with the workplace and ending with society as a whole.
  7. Lower costs due to increased production and reduced number of workers.

Can Stress and Work Pressure be Reduced?

The truth is that working under pressure is helpful most of the time and helps to perform various tasks and accomplish work more, but this applies mainly to simple pressure and logical tension. Still, in cases of excessive stress, work pressure may be stressful and or affect work efficiency. It may increase work pressure results from a combination of causes of which we mention:

  1. Fear of leaving work.
  2. Increased work due to a reduced number of employees.
  3. Increased pressure to perform tasks that meet evolving expectations without focusing on employee satisfaction.
  4. Extended working hours.
  5. Heavy workloads.
  6. Lack of time allotted for performing the following tasks results from a lack of consideration for employee differences.
  7. Job changes that cause a change in duties.
  8. Bad environment resulting from disagreements with colleagues or superiors.
  9. Ways to reduce stress at work

Tips to Reduce Stress and Tension at Work

  1. Communication with friends: Work pressure can be reduced by communicating with friends and family members. To get support and sympathy, and they do not necessarily find solutions to problems, they can only provide support, and communication can be in one of the following ways:
  2. Communication with co-workers: Co-workers can relieve tension and stress by bringing up their problems together and trying to get support. Therefore, we must always listen to them and provide support in order to obtain it in times of need.
  3. Make new friends: At each stage, you may need to make new friends to relieve future stressors.
  4. Exercise: It is possible to get rid of stress and reduce its symptoms by supporting physical and mental health, performing continuous exercise, and being careful to eat healthy foods that make the body and mind more resilient in the face of stress.
  5. Reducing the intake of sugars and carbohydrates: There is no doubt that the diet dramatically affects the way of thinking and the way of dealing with daily stresses. It can maintain the level of sugar in the blood to prevent mood swings and conserve energy. Low sugar increases levels of stress, anxiety, and irritability, and eating large amounts of starches and carbohydrates may increase the sense of lethargy. Therefore, it is preferable to rely on healthy foods, reduce sugars, refined carbohydrates, and fats during working hours, and maintain balanced meals rich in important nutrients, like fatty fish, flaxseeds, and walnuts, which are rich in omega-3s.
  6. Avoid nicotine: most people believe that smoking reduces anxiety and tension, but the truth is that it increases emotion and tension due to increased nicotine in the blood.
  7. Sufficient sleep: A sufficient amount of sleep must be obtained at night to complete the required work during the day and increase the ability to focus and deal with work pressures. Some tips can be practised to improve the quality of work. Such as:
  8. Sleep at a specific time: The hours of sleep and wake-up should be set daily.
  9. Turn off screens and your phone an hour before bedtime: because the light emitted from them hinders sleep due to reduced melatonin production.
  10. Avoid stressful activities before bed: Calming activities should be done right before bed, and the lights should be reduced to help you sleep better.
  11. Prioritization and organisation: time must be managed and work organised to avoid stress and fatigue by:
  12. Develop a balanced schedule: A balanced schedule must be established to organise work time and time for social and recreational activities.
  13. Avoid being late: go to work at a regular time and try not to be late; Because it will increase stress.
  14. Determine rest times: Sufficient times for rest must be set during working hours in which to eat and communicate with friends.
  15. Set work limits: It is impossible to stay in touch with the work environment by receiving emails during breaks and holidays; Rest time should be separated from work.
  16. Avoid over-commitment: A distinction must be made between obligatory and unnecessary tasks, and avoid doing work that exceeds energy. Some tips can be followed to manage tasks, including:
  17. Prioritization: tasks should be prioritised, and the most important completed, then the important ones.
  18. Divide projects into steps: large tasks should be broken down into smaller tasks and finished in succession.
  19. Delegation of responsibility: tasks can be distributed among the team and not complete everything alone, and this will reduce stress and tension.

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