The leaders and employees of startups will be only too familiar with all or some of these. In the complex and volatile business conditions of today, many sources of workplace pressure are beyond our direct control, which is true of many stressors, but we do have considerably more control over how we respond.

It’s worth the time it takes to review response habits. When pressures mount over a prolonged period, without a balancing adaptation to coping capacity (extending the working day or just going faster), it stops being a catalyst for growth and becomes instead a driver for stress, burnout, and ultimately debilitating mental health issues.

Ahead of World Mental Health Day, it is vital to emphasise the value of managing the pressure-growth-stress dynamic in an intentional way, so as to harness pressure as a driver for beneficial growth, engagement, and productivity, not energy and innovation depleting stress. With the right tools and approaches, pressure management ceases to be about damage limitation and becomes instead all about personal and organisational development. A few basics.

Establish clear boundaries

Boundaries were always essential to ensure appropriate recovery, but they’ve become especially critical with the rise of hybrid and remote work, where the line between personal and professional life can get increasingly blurred. In order to establish healthy professional boundaries, we must unapologetically set the bar where we have sufficient time to be fully present in areas outside of work that develop the human being (not just a human doing). Boundaries will look different for everyone, and so it is equally important to respect others' boundaries in the same way you must protect your own. No employee should feel guilty for taking breaks, taking advantage of flexible working. Leaders need to show the value they place on protecting boundaries and recovery time by modelling it themselves. Well-earned breaks are an investment in future performance.

Treat yourself with kindness

When under pressure, it is important to be gentle with yourself. Feeling overwhelmed or doubting your abilities from time to time is normal and has everything to do with being human and nothing to do with weakness. Being overly self-critical only adds to the strain. When you notice that inner critical voice creeping in, try to take a step back and ask yourself if you would speak to a friend or colleague like this? Shifting your perspective in this way will help you show yourself the kindness and understanding that you would show others.

Create healthy patterns

Establishing a healthy pattern of behaviour is a key way to manage pressure effectively. Unhealthy behaviours can result in individuals crumbling under pressure due to a lack of emotional regulation. Embedding a routine into your life that supports healthy behaviours will help to manage stress and sustain professional performance. This routine should include regular breaks, social time outside of working hours, some form of exercise or movement, and personal time to relax. This will help to break up the working day and create some distance between your personal and professional life.

Recognise that everything is a learning experience

Being open to improvement lies at the centre of positive growth. We must learn and continuously develop throughout our careers. Throughout our lives, our experiences teach us how to cope with pressure, shaping how we manage it. This can include childhood, education, and career experiences. To grow personally, we may need to recognise that the coping responses we default to under pressure may no longer work the way they once did, and we need to adapt the range of responses we use. Those moving from education into their first job or moving from one job to the next are likely to carry with them different ways of dealing with pressure; some will be beneficial, others may be detrimental.

Trying to recognise unhealthy responses in ourselves can help us in reshaping our subconscious responses and break unhealthy patterns. Similarly, we may also reflect on the responses of our colleagues and leaders, which may help us change how we react to pressure in the future. Our pressure management techniques can be built on shared learning, drawing on each other's strengths and bolstering the areas for improvement.

Do not struggle alone

When struggling under pressure, it is important to reach out to your network of support, whether this be inside or outside of work. Talking to a friend or family member may help you offload and take the weight off of your shoulders. In more serious circumstances, talking to colleagues and managers about situations or pieces of work that are causing significant levels of stress can help you gain a fresh perspective, as it is easy to get ‘stuck in the weeds’. Struggling through things alone can lead to loneliness and isolation from colleagues, as well as intensifying the stress created. There is strength in deciding to actively tap into the insight and experience of others and folding what you hear into your own thinking.

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