How to learn to work under pressure

What is working under pressure?

Working under pressure means doing a job in a very limited amount of time, right before it is due. You are putting yourself in a situation in which you give yourself little time to accomplish a vast amount of assignments, work, or responsibilities. 

What does it do to our bodies

When working under pressure our bodies light up and let out a lot of different hormones like adrenaline, noradrenaline, and cortisol. The body activates the fight or flight response and we go under stress mode. Stress can be positive if it gets you on track and makes you respond to a dangerous situation but consistent stress can harm the body.

When stressed we start breathing faster and quicker but it depends on our mental health and how our body reacts to stress if it gets bad or not. When put under stress we can get sick easier because our immune system reduces its ability to fight illnesses.

You might notice that your heart rate increases as well as the blood pressure. Being under a lot of pressure constantly can harm your digestive system and give you some problems. 

How we react to it?

All of us have different ways to react to an activity that we have to do under pressure or when we are stressed. 

People get motivated:

To some people is a thrill to have to do something quickly and they get really productive and sometimes even excited. These people work hard when they have little time and they have learned how to organize themselves under pressure. They do tend to leave everything to the end to get this surge of energy.

People get paralyzed:

To the other section, people stress completely paralyzes them. They don’t know how to act with little time and they get stuck easily. These kinds of people do very well when they are given a lot of time. These people need to practice a lot for timed exams because they get nervous and anxious which can cost them the time and dedication they took before.

The ones that have the skills:

Then there is the combination of these. They don’t get motivated at all but they don’t die of stress and they can handle it. They can sometimes get a thrill but sometimes they get really nervous.

Can you control this

You can regulate this by practicing doing things under pressure. The practice is always key. Use relaxation techniques and try to calm down. For the group that seems to get motivated, if it works for you, nice, keep doing it. But remember that if you are working in a group not everyone appreciates that you leave the part of the work for last. Try working on your time management. That way you have enough time to do all of the stuff that you leave for the end. 

How to practice

You can always practice by timing yourself to do work or an assignment, this will help you get a grasp of the time you need to get stuff done. You must try with different areas of life and different skills because they all generate different levels of stress on you. This will help you gauge your abilities and use them to the max.