Keep Calm Under Pressure by Taking Action

High pressure situations wreck your nerves. If you feel like you’re starting to crack under the pressure, get back some of your control by taking action, instead of stewing in your fears.

As business blog Inc. points out, when you’re nervous or worried about a situation, it can drive you to inaction. The problem is, this tends to leave you with more time to think about how terrible things could go, instead of finding a way to make them go better. While it’s okay to give yourself some time to come up with a plan, the sooner you can move towards action, the better:

Once you’ve figured out the facts and screwed your head on straight, it’s time to own up to the situation. Putting off the hard work of cleaning up the mess just gives your sense of dread more power; pouring your energy into making things better is both empowering and a wonderful distraction from any anxiety that might surface. Remember, getting excited by the challenge of rising from the ashes will improve your performance dramatically.

Of course, you should still take a moment to situate yourself and assess your surroundings logically. But all of that effort should be put towards taking action. Don’t just sit around thinking how terrible it will be if your boss gets on your case. Find a way to accomplish your work. Don’t run through every rejection scenario you can imagine, search for a way to improve your chances. Instead of focusing on your emotions, focus on the task at hand.

How to Stay Calm Under Pressure | Inc.

Photo by Kevin Dooley.

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