It’s pretty much a law that there will be times when stress at work will seem overwhelming.
Whether it’s the pressure to answer all 100 e-mails that have suddenly flooded your inbox or your boss moving up the deadline on that big project, sometimes it all just seems like too much.
But there are ways to combat stress and keep your cool, even when the pressure seems overwhelming, according to RealSimple.com.
Here are their top five tips, collected from professionals who’ve survived some very stressful situations:
1. Before a stressful event, stage a mental dress rehearsal – “In surgery, you don’t have the luxury of wondering, ‘What if this doesn’t work?’ That’s why, the night before a big procedure, I run through the entire thing like a movie in my head. I also visualize what I’ll do in the event of major complications.” – Thomas Heffernan, a cancer surgeon in Dallas.
2. Address the most urgent need first – “During my 21 years as an air-traffic controller, I’ve had a number of unexpected things happen, from a bomb threat to a helicopter pilot telling me that he had lost his engine and needed to land right away. I always remember what a veteran controller once told me: ‘It’s always going to get crazy—just don’t get flustered by it. Prioritize as you go, and that way you’ll get through the decision-making process.’ It’s crucial to discern between a real emergency and something that can wait.” – Cherie Hitt, a supervisory air-traffic controller at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International.
3. Listen – “You can’t succeed in improv if you go onstage and just start telling jokes. You have to be flexible and pay attention to what people are saying so a scene doesn’t go astray.” – Matt Walsh, cofounder of the Upright Citizens Brigade improv sketch-comedy troupe.
4. Know when to take a breather – “Sometimes during a performance, a tiger will do something potentially dangerous that’s not in the routine. When that happens, I offer verbal reassurance (‘OK, calm down’), almost like you would to a pet or a toddler. If that doesn’t work, I try offering red meat (really). But if a cat becomes threatening, I leave the ring so she can relax, even if that leads to an awkward pause in the show. The idea of ‘the show must go on’ is important in the circus community, but I’ve learned not to let that mantra dictate my behavior.” – Tabayara Maluendam an exotic-animal trainer with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.
5. Block out anything unnecessary – “Most of my pressure-filled moments come when big news breaks.On these days, there is so much information to consider that you can’t process it all fast enough to react at the speed of the market … Sometimes I close my eyes and breathe—just to clear my head of outside distractions.” – Doreen Mogavero, founder and the CEO of Mogavero Lee & Co., a boutique brokerage firm in New York City.