Don’t Stress over Stress
Apr. 23, 2008 by Lisa Currie
From the New York Times…
THE e-mail messages marked “urgent” fill your in-box. Your most profitable client has moved up the deadline. The boss is yelling, and the computer system has crashed — again.
Pressure comes with the job, of course. But some deal with it better than others.
Nicole Cusick, writing in Men’s Journal, suggests the following to use stress to your advantage:
- Embrace the pressure. “At the right levels, stress is a good thing,” she writes. It shows you care and can cause you to work harder. “It may seem obvious, but being conscious” of the symptoms of stress is the first step, she says, in calming down.
- Work out. People in better shape have more confidence at crunch time.
- Try meditation. “Researchers from the University of Wisconsin found that meditation can improve your focus — beneficial when preparing for a stressful event.”
- Prepare. No surprise here. The more you have practiced, the more confidence you will have.
- Think positive thoughts. If you visualize success, the odds of its occurring increase. “Negative ruminating may prime you to fail.”
- Learn from mistakes. For those who still let their nerves get the better of them, take solace in this:
“Ironically, it’s people with more cognitive ability, more working memory, who tend to choke under pressure,” says Sian L. Beilock, a University of Chicago professor.