When should you put pressure on yourself?
Knowing when to speed up and slow down
Abstract
Prior to this post, I explored pressure through the cliché that ‘pressure makes diamonds’.
I highlighted that internal pressure is necessary to become the person we aspire to be, as without it, we simply would expect circumstances out of our control to mould us into someone we had hoped.
However, I also highlighted the dangers of applying too much pressure on yourself, which raises the question:
When is internal pressure necessary and appropriate?
In this thought piece, we will look further into the meaning of pressure, our reaction to it, and whether we can manage the amount of pressure placed upon ourselves.
Discussion
Pressure is an intangible concept which looks different from person to person.
It’s one of those words that we can define through our experiences, but due to this, I wondered if there is any unifying definition that can capture this.
After looking at 5 dictionary definitions of ‘pressure’, including the trusty Cambridge dictionary, I struggled to pin down commonalities between them.
The most common occurrence were those which included persuasion as a form of pressure, i.e. pressuring someone via persuading them to do something.
Is that the primary use of the word, or do we use it to describe a situation that we are in?
I would have thought the latter, but it seemed as if that type of pressure is linked more to our experiences than I thought, as I couldn’t find many definitions pertaining to this.
Based on this, pressure is relative, as it is the way you experience a situation as a result of how you frame it.
What may be a high-pressure situation for one person may be perceived as a normal one for another, which may be due to their previous experience and challenges, their ability to thrive under pressure, etc.
However, does there come a point where the pressure gets the better of you?
Yerkes Dodson Law
In 1908, psychologists Robert Yerkes and John Dodson created a theory called the Yerkes Dodson Law.
It is a widely accepted model in psychology which shows the relation between stress and performance and forms the basis of many conversations on how we can improve our performance.
Despite its inherent limitation of having mice as the subject for its results, it has served a basis to better understand this relation and is still a mainstay due to its simplicity.
Whilst researching this concept however, it’s simplicity meant there was a lot of commentary around the cultivation and meaning behind it, and therefore regurgitated what it is and how it came along.
Alongside this, despite the limitation mentioned above, many disregarded this as a fact and used the theory to add credibility to a wider topic of how to improve performance from various personal perspectives.
Nonetheless, I was encouraged when I came across an article which put their own spin on the original theory.
Delphis, who have a collection of articles exploring areas of improvement for both employees and managers, highlighted similar areas to the Yerkes Dodson Law, but provided clearer distinctions between stress’ potential to have a positive or negative impact.
What I liked about the model was their acknowledgement of the negative connotations of ‘stress’ and therefore their choice to use ‘pressure’ instead.
Below is a breakdown of their model:
Here is a short summary describing each component of the pressure-performance curve:
Boreout: Having an absence of motivation due to a lack of challenge and sense of purpose. This can occur even when there is variation in the tasks but they are perceived to have little value.
Comfort: A comfortable situation where a good level of performance is achieved.
Stretch: Where optimal performance and growth occurs. Flow state is achieved in this region.
Strain: When high pressure is sustained with no time to recover, meaning performance tails off.
Burnout: Sustained and extreme pressure. Now you are unable to focus on tasks that require attention and decision-making suffers, and as a result you need immediate rest. The longer you are in this state, the more detrimental it is on the body.
We are usually in around the centre of the curve, but those who perform to the best of their ability are at the precipice of it.
As pressure is subjective, experimentation on the internal pressure you place on yourself is key.
This is because, acknowledging that you have the ability to frame each situation you are in, is at the core of how you prioritise for the days ahead.
But even when you are aware of the ability to frame each situation, you can still unknowingly enter the ‘Zone of Delusion’.
What happens in the ‘Zone of Delusion’?
“The Zone of Delusion is where we falsely believe our performance will improve if we keep working harder. Rather than getting better and better, our performance decreases with too much pressure. We lose focus; we frantically multitask; (and) make mistakes. The quality of our work suffers as a result.”
This is a place I have found myself in on numerous occasions, where the only variability between each occasion is when I realise that I have entered the zone.
For example, after having been in this place before, the ability to realise that my efforts are causing me to err closer to the ‘Zone of Delusion’ has been quicker, whereas before, if I were already within it, a more drastic action would need to be taken to slow down my efforts to a sustainable state.
More often than not, it has been my standards that have prompted me towards the zone rather than the external pressures having a driving force.
This is because, standards are indicative of internal pressure we may place on ourselves.
When external pressure is sustained in work and personal life, internal pressure can tip you into the zone of delusion.
In the case that external pressure draws you to this point, it is either the way you manage the pressure, or simply believing you can handle the pressure of the situation.
Conversely, with external pressure can come internal, as not only are you expected to perform, but you build your own perception of how you ‘should’ perform.
What about when pressure is ‘placed’ on you?
Deadlines.
Deadlines are a constant in our lives and are key to ensuring that urgency remains consistent in the short-term, and in the long-term offers an opportunity to plan ahead and prepare ourselves for what needs to be done.
A key element of urgency, which often coincides with the importance of a task, comes from external time pressures in the form of deadlines, which give us little to no choice but to do what is required of us.
In actuality, time pressure can only be ‘pressure’ based on whichever is higher: the standards for ourselves or standards of the expectations put on us.
If the pressure we put on ourselves is a result of our own standards, this would prompt action towards achieving this standard.
Conversely, if the standard is set externally and doesn’t start with you, this represents a situation that is new to us which we have to eventually become accustomed to.
In certain situations, deadlines may be panic-inducing, or just generally give us an idea of time expected to be spent on a task.
There is stark contrast that simply comes as a result of how we frame the situation.
But outside of deadlines, when have you placed pressure on a task?
For example, when preparing for a performance; ranging from an interview to a creative performance - when there is only one shot at it.
This may have been because you have placed pressure on showcasing your abilities as you know what they are worth or more so because the situation itself is high stakes.
The scenario is the same, but once again, it is how we frame it that determines the type of pressure we feel.
One gives power to the circumstances out of our control whereas the other is you just wanting to perform in a way that does justice to yourself.
Therefore, when we view a situation in which pressure is ‘placed’ on us, we frame it as a threat rather than an opportunity.
We have to take it upon ourselves to recognise why it is the case that an external influence may predominantly present itself as a burden, rather than an opportunity that can build us into the person we want to be.
The way I do this is by setting realistic standards for myself in each circumstance, whilst also testing my personal limits that have been formed over time.
Conclusion
Pressure starts with you.
The immediate pressure you feel is the one you put on yourself, and then surrounding that is the pressure of the situation and how you perceive it.
Sometimes, we may jump to conclude that we feel ‘stressed’ as a result of the circumstances, before looking within ourselves to know why we are overwhelmed.
Even if we are putting ourselves under pressure irrespective of the situation, we have to understand that there is a balance between pressure being too little or too much.
There is a fine line necessary to distinguish, as you may believe that an extensive amount of pressure is necessary or part of the process.
On the other hand, it is also key to recognise when you err on the wrong side of how pressure affects you.
Is it pushing past your limits or breaking them?
P.S.
When have you put pressure on yourself unnecessarily?
How has your perception of pressure changed?
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