Pressure vs Stress

I came into work this morning, opened my email, and there it was. I had been dreading this email. I had heard rumours that it was on its way, and now it had arrived. My heart pounded. I've been asked to lead the quarterly presentation to one of our company's largest clients. It was a fantastic opportunity to shine in front of my company's leadership team, but right now, that was the last thing on my mind.

The meeting was in five days, so the pressure was on. I had a tight deadline and high expectations from my boss, who had kindly recommended me for the task. I decided to focus by planning my time, delegating tasks to my research team, and practising every day. What could possibly go wrong, as I dreamt of those polished slides, clear talking points, and a confident smile as I presented?

Then reality hit! On top of juggling three major projects, I was still covering for Steve, who was still off sick, and the instructions from my boss for the presentation were not exactly clear. The presentation became one more thing on my already overloaded plate.

Now I am lying awake at night worrying about missing something. I am finding myself snapping at my teammates (which, as you know, is most unlike me), I am skipping lunch trying to catch up (seems to be always like me!), and now I am just staring at my blank screen [completely forgetting my simple poem to beat procrastination].

Presentation day arrived; I was running on caffeine and adrenaline. Before my slot, I was pacing up and down desperately trying to remember anything in the slides. During the presentation my delivery was rushed, and I stumbled over questions. To put it mildly, it was a disaster.

I now realise the constant demands had crossed the line from energising pressure to damaging stress.

Another novel way to resign, I thought!

It’s so important to understand and spot the difference between pressure and stress.

So let’s start by looking at pressure. Feeling pressure is good. It means it matters, and you will find yourself working harder and focusing better. But avoid the self-inflicted wound of putting pressure on yourself to be perfect.

Pressure can come from:

• Deadlines (time pressure)

• High workload (volume pressure)

• Performance targets (quality or results pressure)

• Interpersonal demands (relationship or team pressure)

• Organisational change (adaptation pressure)

Now let’s look at stress. Workplace stress can cause symptoms such as fatigue, irritability, difficulty concentrating, decreased productivity, and, if severe, burnout or health issues. Unlike pressure, which can be motivating at times, stress typically has a negative impact when it is chronic or unmanaged.

A textbook definition of stress in the workplace is the physical, mental, and emotional reaction a person has when job demands exceed their perceived ability to cope.

Stress can come from:

• Excessive workload or unrealistic deadlines

• Lack of control over tasks or decisions

• Conflict with colleagues or management

• Job insecurity or organisational change

• Poor work-life balance

To summarise, pressure is like putting weight on a spring, which causes it to bounce back stronger. Stress occurs when a weight is so heavy that the spring bends out of shape and is unable to return.

We all have different tolerances to stress. Become aware of yours, and don’t get bent out of shape.