A Note On Feeling Under Pressure
OK so it may or may not be one of my favorite Queen song's but seriously, lets talk about being under pressure. Ugh.
I personally put a lot of pressure on myself and I always have. I don't think I've ever half-assed (intentionally) anything in my life because I always built myself up with this perfectionist mentality. Of course with that mind-set failure hits extra hard, creating even more pressure.
I can't be the only one? I know we all feel it. Pressure to do the right thing. To do well at our job. To get married. Have kids. To just do it all. I know lots of people don't care for all that and honestly, good for them. But I just mentally can't not put some pressure on myself. Some combination of my OCD (I'm not just saying that, I am a diagnosed crazy person!) and just how "I'm wired" as my grandma would say, is probably adding to the pressure I put on myself to do well in life.
I've been recently trying to "take note" on my behavior that is attributing to this pressure I put on myself. Between being a court appointed special child advocate and working full-time in a rather intense field as a paralegal, I find myself consumed with a burden that is hard to describe. As someone who already burns out easily just being around people, I become mentally burn out too after reading, watching, reviewing, and working on cases that involve some of the worst crimes you can think of.
Some things I wrote down: I am allowed to accept that I am a little burnt out from time to time and it is OK if I need to lay low for a while. I sometimes (OK a lot of times) over explain myself when I am unable to do something when I'm simply just mentally fatigued.
A Bright Side to Pressure
I get a lot of stuff done.
People think I have my crap together (I don't).
I've experienced a lot of cool moments in my career.
I've accomplished a lot that I'm proud of.
These experiences have created some great memories and stories.
So while I will probably always feel a sense of pressure I have noticed that I have evolved over the years. I can recognize when I am reacting negatively because of feeling overwhelmed and I know that "this too shall pass."
Whether you're feeling pressure today because of your job, relationship, or the current state of a global pandemic, it's going to be okay. We will get through this. I found that noticing when I am under pressure and just simply acknowledging it helps me to take on the day.
What is something you do to cope when feeling under pressure?