by Have you ever been in a high-stress situation where you felt you lost control of your emotions?
For some of us, stress is a constant reality in our day jobs. Faced with piles of urgent tasks to tick off our to-do lists, then worse, having additional mounds of ad-hoc actionables thrown our way to complete yesterday – it can be easy to become overwhelmed, frustrated, and quite frankly want to scream at the top of our lungs. The solution? Staying cool, calm, and clear-headed amidst the chaos.
Stay with us as we provide practical strategies for staying composed and focused in high-pressure situations – exploring techniques such as deep breathing, mindset shifts, prioritization, and decision-making frameworks.
Take A Breather: Deep Breathing Techniques for Stress Reduction
One of the best ways to relieve stress when we’re feeling triggered at work is to quite simply breathe deeply. But for something that seems so basic as breathing, it’s surprising to realize how difficult it is to breathe purposefully.
To tap into the stress-busting benefits of breathing deeply, some of the best breathing techniques for stress reduction include:
‘Belly’ Breathing
Breathing deeply into our bellies helps slow down our breath, calming us down. This type of breathing also works to relieve stress by ensuring our inhalations are flowing through our bodies, and up to the brain – helping us focus and think more clearly. By taking in oxygen deep into our diaphragm, we also regain control of shallow breathing – one of the physical sensations associated with stress, panic, and anxiety.
Breathing like a ‘Humming Bee’
Emitting a soothing humming sound while breathing deeply may feel a little strange at first, but it can be surprisingly soothing when stressed. Doing this can also help lower our heart rate, leading to a much-needed sense of serenity.
‘Lion’s Breath’ Breathing
While it may appear comical to outside observers, this breathing technique not only helps a stressed individual take in extra oxygen but also relaxes tense facial muscles. So, how do we do it? Try opening your jaw wide, and sticking the tongue out (just like a lion yawning). Emitting an audible ‘aah’ sound can also relax us even further.
Make Rational Decisions: Staying Calm When it’s Critical
In high-pressure environments, making quick yet effective decisions is crucial.
Professionals in fields like healthcare, business, and emergency response often rely on structured frameworks to navigate stress. For example, advanced training programs such as a post masters DNP online help nursing professionals develop the leadership skills and critical thinking needed to manage complex situations with confidence.
Some of the different critical thinking and decision-making frameworks that can help us make clear-headed choices include:
The ‘CSD Matrix’ Theory
Utilizing the CSD Matrix allows decision-makers to rationalize three important elements of the options before them: certainties – what will almost certainly happen; suppositions – which we can only assume might happen; and doubts – which refer to the unknown. Identifying each of these elements helps us make logical choices when faced with difficult decisions.
The ‘RICE’ Prioritization Framework
Calling on the RICE method of prioritization helps us identify which aspects of a project are most important, by understanding the reach, impact, confidence, and effort of each element.
The ‘Golden Circle’ Method
The Golden Circle strategy centers on the ‘why’ of a decision, before expanding out into the ‘how’ and the ‘what’. Using this method can help us understand the rationale behind why a certain choice is the correct one.
Shift Your Mindset: Strategies to Stay Positive
Shifting our mindsets is key to staying positive and poised under pressure. But how do we shift our mindsets, exactly? Some popular mindset-shifting strategies include:
Visualization
What is visualization? Put simply, it’s a mindset technique that involves envisioning ideal scenarios and creating images in our minds of exactly how these look. When stressed, this helps shift our focus from the worst-case scenario, picturing instead what could go right.
Gratitude Journaling
Gratitude journaling has been proven as an effective mood-boosting technique. It works by forcing us to focus on the things in life that are going well, shifting our thoughts away from negativity and stress.
Calling on stress-busting strategies such as deep breathing, and mindset-shifting techniques like visualization and gratitude journaling can be immeasurably helpful for stressed-out workers dealing with high pressure.
Coupled with the development of decision-making and critical-thinking skills, these soul-soothing strategies can help us deal with stress more effectively, leading to an increased sense of calmness, clarity, and control, even when things go awry.
