Taking the Stress out of Pressure

Today is Stress Awareness Day but when can pressure provide a positive rather than a negative impact?

Last night I dipped into my work’s email (yes, I know I shouldn’t but it’s a bit of an occupational hazard when you run your own business). Sitting there was an email from one of my clients flagging a last-minute advertising offer from a leading trade magazine that offered sizable free editorial alongside a display ad. The rate was good, so I recommended she went ahead and sent over a synopsis for a seasonal/topical themed piece of content.

I emailed the sales manager to ask for a deadline and word count which arrived the following day. By the time I picked up his response that deadline was just an hour away!

I managed to negotiate a little wriggle room, won a few hours and set about researching my subject and committing the words to paper. Within a couple of hours, the 500-word feature was written, approved by my client, accompanying images were sorted and all content sent over to the magazine.

It gave me a bit of a buzz. There’s nothing like a pressing deadline to inject the mind with clarity and focus.

As a former newspaper reporter, who once worked on a 10-edition evening title, I am used to rolling deadlines and the need for immediacy. All these years on, I still get a kick from the occasional ‘pronto’ requirements…albeit when they can be accommodated.

I got lucky…I had no prior engagements this morning. Of course, I have a lengthy ‘to do’ list with some looming deadlines – when don’t I? – but nothing that couldn’t be put on hold temporarily. When opportunities arise, I prefer to grab them. I always want the best for my clients and so if I can move things around in their best interests I will.

We all manage pressure differently and there are different triggers to stress – the trick is knowing which of them has a negative effect on you. What I do is not a matter or life or death. Other people’s health and wellbeing is not in my hands – their reputation is, but ‘urgent’ holds a different value with some ‘front line’ working environments.

For others, it can be the weight of work, frustrations around processes or other colleagues failing to do their bit which halt the mechanism of work progress from moving forward which can result in workplace stress.

All we can do is effectively manage what is in our control – all that which falls outside our influence, we must be prepared to let go…for the benefit of our own health.

Tonight, I am completing my working day having had a boost of adrenaline during it. I can be satisfied in knowing that I have done a good job and that it will achieve a positive outcome for my client. But to ensure personal wellbeing…tonight, I will not be looking at my emails.

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#PR #marketing #stressawarenessday #selfawareness #copingmechanisms