![]() |
Even when you are under a lot of pressure there are simple things that you can do to reduce the affect of stress on yourself and help your friends. The first is to look calm. If you look like you are under control this will inspire confidence in your friends.
Focus on the task that you are doing. Don't worry about what is going to happen next week or a year from now. Try and concentrate on your task and do it the best that you can. Double check the details that you might have made a mistake on.
Think positively. Don't dwell on the negative implications of the situation. Face problems and think of ways to solve them not on just on how bad everything is.
Try to relax whenever you can. As said before, your muscles may be tense; try and loosen up, shrug your shoulders, move around, stretch your muscles, try and force yourself and the muscles to relax. Close your eyes and think of your self succeeding. Talk to your self if you find it helpful. All the while take deep breathes exhaling the air forcefully.
If you have any or a number of the symptoms of the stress reactions remember that this is normal. You are not going crazy, you are not having a breakdown, you are just a normal person undergoing or involved in an abnormal situation and that these reactions are temporary and they will go away.
Talk to your friends, don't keep things inside. People who sit and mope around themselves end up having the worst problems. The more you talk about what you have seen or what you're feeling the less terrible it will seem and the more normal it will become and also find out that other people feel the same way and can do things to help you and you can do things to help them.
Return to Frank's I/O Psych Homepage