Working under stress and strain

Whatever be the environment that prevails at your workplace, there will always be demands and emergencies that would call upon you to race against time or work under pressure. The situation would warrant speedy and apt deliberation. Such calls of duty that are actually performance impediments, thrust upon you powerful and forceful burdens and strains. Needless to state, such burdens are very common occurrences. Therefore, it can be surmised that work pressure causes stress and which, if it has to be reduced, necessitates knowing ways and means to address it. At any workplace, there are bound to be alterations in work routines and regimen; time limits and cut-off dates; and impairments and obstacles. All these situations are a source of stress and strain. But they are restrained by factors like intrinsic snags, distribution of wherewithal and availability of time. And when stress accumulates, it leads to anguish, thereby adversely impacting you physical and mental well-being.

The first step in learning how to work under pressure is to maintain control. For some, pressure brings up emotions that can cloud decision-making and inhibit your ability to deal with a problem. If you are unable to set your emotions aside take those emotions and turn them into the energy needed to deal with the situation.

Before you jump into action you must first evaluate the issue. Be sure you know exactly what the issue is before you try and resolve it. On the surface it may seem to be one thing, when in fact there is an underlying cause. By jumping to conclusions and acting on the wrong issue you may in fact make it worse. Ask the important questions who, what, when, where, why to get to the root of the problem. Once you know what the issue is then determine the priority. Is it a high priority that must be dealt with immediately?

It is essential to have a plan or processes in place for dealing with a crisis. When a crisis arises that puts you under pressure you execute the plan. Each step is outlined and everyone knows what they are supposed to do. There will be times when something arises that there is no plan for. In these cases the best way to deal with it is by adopting a step-by-step process. In the present day world, learning how to work under pressure could also mean that sometimes you have to work without internet.

What is it that you should be generally doing if you discern that you are under some sort of a pressure? First and foremost, you must determine what the issue is and document all the circumstances surrounding it. The next step should be to find out how critical it is; this will help you decide on how quickly it ought to be dealt with. Having done so, you must create a simple to do list for each step that needs to be done to resolve it. And once you know the steps, then it is just a matter of doing them or delegating them. Remember that dealing with anything for which you do not have a contingency plan, the steps that you institute to resolve it should be made note of as early as possible. You can refer to your notes to create a step-by-step plan for dealing with a similar issue that could arise in the future.

The entire procedure to facilitate working under stress and strain can well be surmised as under:

·  Maintain control over yourself and not lose your composure.

·  Evaluate the issue in detail for its ramifications and outcomes.

·  Get cracking with the plan or formulate one if there is no plan and then execute it will all resolution at your command.

You can relieve the stress of working under pressure by knowing what steps to take to deal with any possible adverse situation that can arise. Being pro-active by having plans in place for common issues can make sure they are dealt with promptly and relieve the stress of working under pressure. The more you have to work under pressure, the better you get at it. This builds confidence that you can deal with anything that arises and which can help relieve stress and reduce emotions that surface when working under pressure.