Life is incredibly hard and stressful at times. School, studying, working,
and the news around us can all contribute to feelings of anxiety, stress
and pressure.
So, how do we stop feeling pressure and help us feel a little less overwhelmed? Here are a few tips.
Perfection does not exist.
There is a pressure to be perfect, but this theory isn’t healthy or good
for your everyday outlook on life.
Working hard is amazing, but there is a big difference between trying your
best and trying to get everything perfect. When we try to get things
perfect and things don’t go to plan, self-doubt will kick in and this is
the point where the idea of being perfect becomes unhealthy.
Mistakes happen daily to everyone, and no human gets everything right or
correct all the time. Getting things wrong is a positive in many ways,
because, when you don’t get things right, there is room to learn and then
you can grow and develop.
Balance is everything.
Working hard is a great attribute to have in life. It shows that you care.
However, keeping in tune with how you feel after your school or working day
or week is super important.
Stress management goes hand in hand with having a good balance in life and
keeping pressure off you. The main element of stress management is self-
care. Doing something that makes you feel calm and happy goes a million
miles when it comes to truly looking after yourself.
A nice walk at lunchtime, a chat with your mate, a swim on the weekend or
even a bubble bath at the end of the day. However you relax, looking after
you will help to keep the pressures at a healthy level. Pressure can lead
to stress, and both go hand in hand at times in your life. Taking note of
how you feel will allow you to know the internal signs of your body
shouting ‘STOP… Take a break!!!!’
Take a break.
When you are feeling the pressure, taking a break of even 10 minutes is
helpful to clear your mind and re-charge. Struggling, and finding things
tough is common. Getting overwhelmed is completely normal too. Everyone
feels this way at some point, even if they don’t show it on the outside.
Sometimes things catch up with us and daily tasks become a little too much.
This is the point you stop what you are doing and take that much-needed
break.
Recognising you need a break and time out is the goal. When pressure builds
up in a balloon, there is only so much air that the balloon can take before it
pops. It is the same with the pressures you might be feeling right now or
have done in the past. Don’t let your balloon pop, it’s ok to ask for help
and advice.
Practice being kind to yourself should always be a process you follow.
Speak to yourself the way you would speak to one of your mates. Positive,
supportive and kind. Pressure is a normal element of life, don’t be afraid
of it. But know how to step back and take a break.
This article was written by Nat Huitson, an Associate Web Engineer at ASOS.com.
In her spare time, she loves writing children’s stories for her son.
ASOS is hiring for lots of roles in tech and across the business— find out more here >>
