7 Common Causes of Constant Pressure and How to Relieve Stress in Your Daily Life
"Pressure pushin' down on me
Pressin' down on you, no man ask for
Under pressure that brings a building down
Splits a family in two, puts people on streets...
... And love dares you to change our way of
Caring about ourselves"
- Queen/David Bowie.
Hi Everyone,
A month or so back I had been feeling a kind of constant pressure that seemed to be coming from a bunch of different directions and it got me thinking about the various sources of typical pressure I/we come up against on a day to day basis and how they might be playing out in my own life.
I decided to compile a list to get better clarity and to help me address each life 'pressure point' one by one. In the process I was interested to see whether or not some of them might resonate with any of you.
In my experience, when we reach a point of overwhelm it is not due to one pressure or another but instead an accumulation of different things, often a mix of external circumstances and internal perceptions. If any of you reading this are feeling under constant pressure then it is important to acknowledge it quickly and take action in order to avoid further mind body symptoms and other undesirable characteristics of stress.
So, without further ado, here is my list with my resolution ideas.
1. High Expectations: You might set very high standards for yourself or feel others expect a lot from you. This can create a sense of never measuring up or needing always to perform.
Resolution: Realise that most people care more about themselves than what you are doing and likely don't expect nearly as much from you as you expect from yourself. So let go a little and know that your worth is not how amazing your standards but instead your worth is just you, as you are, without any glitter or fancy stuff.
2. Overcommitment: I am conscious that I am sometimes guilty of this. If you find yourself juggling many responsibilities—work, personal life, social obligations—it can feel like you're constantly stretched too thin. The pressure to balance everything can be overwhelming.
Resolution: Have a calendar that you use daily and spread your commitments (both work and social) across it as evenly as you can. I use Apple's calendar as it syncs with my phone and I can look at my engagements whenever and wherever, which helps remind me of what I have or don't have on, this helps keep my mind a little more peaceful.
3. Perfectionism: Many TMS'ers will be familliar with this one. I am much less of a perfectionist than I was before embarking on my personal TMS journey but I still trip up. While perfectionism can yield brilliant results, wanting everything to be just right can also add unnecessary stress. This mindset makes it hard to be satisfied with achievements or progress, amplifying feelings of pressure, stress and, yep, you guessed it, TMS/PPD symptoms!
Resolution: To help overcome perfectionism, try letting go of the small things and start to build up until you're completely cool with letting some of the bigger things slide too! Naturally, there will be times when you want something to be the best you can make it but it doesn't always have to be that way, sometimes 'good enough' is enough!
4. Unclear Priorities: Without clear goals or priorities, every task or demand might feel equally important, making it hard to focus or relax, which adds to that constant tension and we all know what internal tension leads to!
Resolution: Try creating a hierarchy of priorities from the least important to the most pressing.
5. Social Comparisons: If you're comparing yourself to others, especially in this era of social media, it’s easy to feel like you're falling behind or not doing enough.
Resolution: Remember that comparison is the killer of all joy. Stay true to yourself and forget about what others are doing. Take social media and people's stories with a grain of salt. Nobody has a perfect life. Focus on what you can do as opposed to what you can't do, and remember that every dog has its day. Everyone has good times and bad times, that's part of the tapestry of life.
6. Fear of Failure: If you're afraid of failing or disappointing others, it can lead to persistent anxiety about your performance and outcomes in various areas of life.
Resolution: This is going to sound a little crazy, but allow yourself to fail on the small things once in a while and notice what happens. You'll realise that the world did not end and you are still ok. Nothing is really that important. Even with something seemingly huge like a relationship, a wedding, or a new business. We can fail at any one of these and the world will keep spinning and people will quickly forget.
7. Burnout or Fatigue: Prolonged periods of stress without proper rest or recovery can lead to burnout, where even simple tasks feel overwhelming. This pressure can come from both mental and physical exhaustion.
Resolution: If you can, take a break and make it at least a couple of weeks minimum, and make it longer if you can. You need to recover your tattered nerves and the only way to do this is with deep rest from both physical and psychological strain. If you can not take a proper break then find a way to slow down, drop some hours at work, scratch some dates from your diary and use your weekends to unwind. There are many simple ways to do this. A spa, a sauna, light exercise, comedy shows, easy walks in nature, playful hobbies, movie nights in or out, and time spent by yourself or with easy friends, whatever works for you!
If any of these resonate with what you're experiencing then let us know with a comment. Sometimes, it’s helpful to identify the specific sources of pressure so you can address them quickly and directly. Meditating with a journal by your side can be useful for this. It will allow you to have a clear head so as thoughts reveal them selves you can pause and quickly to jot them down.
All the best for now,
Duncan