Pressure Vs. Stress – Two Very Different Things

By Brian Maynor

 

Have you ever taken a moment to watch your colleagues in the office?

If you haven’t, I highly recommend it.  Not only does it give your mind a short break, the experience could be extremely insightful.  No doubt you will see some colleagues who are frantic and anxious while others move through the day with quiet, focused, determination.

How is this possible if everyone is facing the same amount of pressure?  The answer is stress.  While pressure and stress are related, the former can become the latter, they are not synonymous or interchangeable.

Pressure is external whereas stress is a product of your mind, specifically the obsession over something that has happened in the past, or could happen in the future in a negative context.  When you reach that realization then you also understand stress is a choice, and that’s why some colleagues remain calm and collected while others are a frazzled bundle of nerves.

Here are four easy ways you can break your habit of turning pressure into stress unnecessarily:

1.    Turn off your autopilot.  Have you ever pulled into your parking space with no recollection of the drive to work?  We all have, but for a lot of people that doesn’t happen just when we drive.  So much of life is a routine that it’s easy to go through the day on autopilot, but this is also when our mind races and we create stress.

The easiest way to snap out of it is to do something physical.  Whether you stand up, sit up straighter in your chair, or actually get up and move around, physical activity will immediately bring your mind back to the present.

2.    Focus and act.  One of the biggest things we obsess over when we ruminate is control, or rather the lack of control.  This creates an endless loop that just seems to spin faster.  One way to break the loop is to focus on something you can ‘do’ and then do it.  We inherently feel more ‘in control’ when we are actively engaged in ‘doing’ something rather than thinking about it.

Maintain perspective.  This is true especially for those of us who tend to catastrophize.  Instead of immediately jumping to the worst-case scenario, it helps to keep a realistic perspective on the situation.  Some of the most common tools to help with this are contrasting; questioning and reframing.  Again these help engage your mind and re-focus it.

Let it go.  This is definitely the hardest thing to do, so if you need to play the theme song of Frozen to help you out we won’t judge.   Releasing anything is hard because it goes back to the need for control.  The idea is that while we hold onto something we can control it, but that’s not true.  Letting go of something means we surrender our need for control over it, but by doing that we also break its control over us.

There are three steps to let go of something.  First is accepting it for what it is.  Second is learning something because it’s easier to move on if we feel there was some value in the situation.  The last step is action.  Whether that is relaxing or planning your next step, you literally have to move on.

While we can’t escape pressure, we most certainly can stop it from becoming stress.  The steps aren’t complicated, but implementing takes time and practice.  So don’t turn the steps to manage stress into actual stress if you find you can’t immediately master them.  Just keep trying and one day you will.

 

Click here or on the images below to learn more about the outfit.

Click here or on the images below to learn more about the outfit.

 

 

 

 

I am always curious to hear from you and what you see in the workplace. Send your questions, comments and pet peeves to [email protected]. Also find each of these storyboards at http://brianmaynor.polyvore.com with links to purchase each item.

 

About Brian Maynor

Brian Maynor has built a reputation as one of the leading style coaches in the Southeast and is quickly expanding his eponymous company, BRIAN MAYNOR and his FIND, FLATTER & FLAUNT line of image consulting services. A professional with a fresh, upbeat and down-to-earth personality and boundless creative energy, he works frequently with with local celebrities; Fortune 500 companies and nonprofit organizations; modeling agencies; fashion designers; production companies; record labels; media and individuals. A regular contributor to various fashion blogs and online communities, Brian Maynor is one of the most trusted and recognized style experts in the region, utilizing his education and training as a broadcast journalist to serve as a style lecturer, emcee, and commentator for over a decade. He has appeared at fashion shows, expos, and charity fundraisers, as well as events with big brands like Banana Republic, Ann Taylor, Chico’s and Macy’s. His approach is innovative, creative and fashion-forward, balancing fresh, modern styles with classic pieces to keep one’s look grounded. To learn more, visit http://www.brianmaynor.com.

 

.