Everyone deals with stress, whether in their personal or professional lives. Stress in the work environment manifests itself in the form of tight deadlines, rushed requests from managers, problems with the performance of other employees, or any kind of obstacle that stands in the way of completing tasks perfectly.
And since it is impossible to avoid work pressure, it has become important to acquire work skills under pressure, also known as “work under pressure skills.” So what are these skills? How can you acquire and enhance it?
Work skills under pressure
Working skills under pressure refer to an individual’s ability to deal with the pressures that he faces in his job or life in a healthy and productive manner, ensuring him overcoming difficult situations and obstacles as well as developing his capabilities and assisting him in growing on the personal and professional levels.
What is the importance of working under pressure?
Many changes may occur in the work environment at any time, so we find that employers are always looking for employees who can handle pressure well while maintaining their productivity and performance. For example, the illness of an employee in a large company with a busy work environment may cause great stress for the rest of the employees. Here, the need arises for those who deal well with pressure to ensure that the required tasks are completed in a timely manner and that the desired goals are achieved.
In the event of failure to deal with work pressure and difficult situations in it, this often negatively affects the employee’s performance and productivity, and thus the productivity of the company as a whole, and may cause it huge irreparable losses.
How do you improve your skills to work under pressure?
If you work in an environment with a lot of pressure, you must acquire the skills for working under pressure and continuously enhance them. So, here are several ways to ensure that you can reduce tension in such situations and thus deal with them more effectively and impress your bosses and colleagues at work.
1- Keep calm
Yes, this can be hard, but the more you practice it, the better. Keep your nerves calm no matter what, as doing so will show others how much you can control your feelings and complete your work to the fullest extent even under difficult circumstances. You can do the following to regain your calm:
- Take a few deep breaths before you start doing anything.
- Count to ten before you react or say anything about the situation you are in.
- Think of something funny, watch a funny clip, or do something to make you forget about the situation you’re in for a moment.
2- Focus on your core duties.
No matter how stressful your workday is, try as much as possible to stay focused on your main tasks and responsibilities for the day. Instead of thinking about how stressed you are or how stressed, angry, or worried your boss is, focus on what you need to do. You can do the following to stay focused:
- Set your goals and priorities for the day and write them in a visible place in front of you—on your computer or on your desk.
- Separate yourself from the world around you by putting on earphones or closing your office door.
- Eliminate distractions, such as putting your phone on silent mode and turning off email alerts on your computer.
- Set yourself periods of continuous work ranging from 30 to 90 minutes, and make ten-minute breaks between them.
3- Help your colleagues who are under pressure.
When you can keep your nerves calm and focus on your main tasks, you will be more likely to finish your work before others. And here comes this step… Give a helping hand to your colleagues who are under a lot of pressure. 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.
4- Stay away from drama.
During the stress period, quarrels and disagreements abound, which are accompanied by drama and problems. So be aware of this and avoid getting yourself involved in it. Instead of blaming your boss for putting you and your team under pressure, think positively and see it as a sign of your boss’s confidence in you as well as an opportunity for growth and development.and measure the various situations associated with drama in the workplace.
5- Don’t be shy to ask for help
Part of your responsibility as an employee of a particular company involves protecting the interests of the company, so if you encounter any difficult situations or feel that you are unable to complete a certain task in a timely manner, do not hesitate to ask one of your colleagues for help. And if you discover a specific problem during the stress period, immediately report it to the specialized team, as this matter shows the extent of your ability to think properly during difficult situations and raises your value to employers.
6- Stay away from caffeine.
Coffee and stimulants are often seen as your best friends in times of stress, as they stimulate the brain and help an individual stay alert and thus complete tasks required of him. But what many people don’t know is that what caffeine does is make you more alert and raise the level of dopamine in the brain to very high levels, which may cause you to lose focus. And what happens when you lose focus, in your opinion?
In this case, you will feel more stressed and pressured, and you will often fail to deal with the situation successfully. So, before you drink the fifth cup of coffee for the day, replace it with a cup of natural herbs that relax your nerves and raise your focus.
7- Take appropriate breaks.
In times of pressure and stress at work, you may find the idea of taking a break absurd and completely inappropriate. However, it is actually 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, which guarantee you a better performance.
8- Make good use of your holidays.
There are, of course, times when you need to take emergency leaves, such as when you are sick, but this is not what we are talking about here; rather, we mean the usual annual leaves. 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 great, 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 good handling of pressure.
9- Get involved in major company projects.
Your company may need help from employees to work on some major projects within the company. Don’t be afraid of this step, and stick with it. Follow these steps:
- Instead of apologizing that you’ve had enough, accept these new responsibilities with open arms.
- See the new responsibilities as a way to grow and acquire new skills.
- Be flexible, rearrange your priorities again, and you can assign one of your colleagues some of your simple tasks that used to take you time so you can devote yourself to new tasks.
10- Don’t show your stress in front of others.
If you are under a lot of stress and feel stressed as a result, try as much as possible not to let your stress come 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 makes you indispensable. As for focusing on your work, it will make you forget about your anxiety and tension and contribute to achieving some progress, thus overcoming part of the pressure you feel.
Rehearsing the previous steps and continuing to practice them will help you develop the skill of dealing under 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 is able to work under pressure is the one who succeeds in reaching higher ranks and achieving distinguished career progression.
Read also: How to personalize your CV to apply to different jobs
