Stress Awareness Month shines a spotlight on stress, what it is and how it affects us in our everyday lives. At Mindapples, we like to share what we know about how our minds work and create space to think together about what helps. When it comes to stress, a useful starting place is to look a little more closely at what we mean when we use the word.
Pressure and stress are not the same thing
We often use the words interchangeably, but they describe very different states. Pressure, the sense of challenge, of something at stake, of a task that demands our best, can actually be good for us. Research shows that a certain level of pressure can improve performance and engagement. It taps into our motivation, focus and drive to get things done, and we often do our best work under a reasonable amount of it.
Stress is something different and it tends to arise when we don’t have the resources to deal with the demands we’re facing. It’s our body’s way of dealing with danger, originally designed to help us act quickly when something feels threatening. Things like deadlines, hard conversations, financial pressures and uncertainty can trigger it, even though they’re not the kind of threats it was meant for.
What stress does
When we’re stressed, our body releases hormones like cortisol which give us a burst of energy and sharpen our focus so we can manage what’s feeling urgent. But while that happens, other things get less attention, like fighting off illness or repairing the body and keeping things running normally.
At the same time, our attention also narrows and we focus more on what feels like the problem, rather than having the capacity to step back, think clearly and look for other options.
This is why stress can feel so overwhelming in the moment.
What can help
We can manage our symptoms of stress with exercise, rest and time away, these all offer real but temporary relief by helping the body recover. But if the gap between the pressures we’re facing and the resources we have stays the same, the stress is likely to return.
What makes a longer-term difference is building your resources: the skills, knowledge, confidence and relationships that help you feel more equipped to handle what you face.
It means holding on to the things that help you cope when pressure increases, rather than dropping them when you need them most. And it means finding ways to pause and give yourself a bit of space, because stress can make problems feel bigger and harder to change than they really are.
How Mindapples can help
Our Handle Pressure workshop explores the psychology of pressure and stress. We look at what’s happening in the brain, why some situations feel manageable and others overwhelming, and how to build the resources to handle more without tipping into stress. We run it for students and staff in schools and universities, and for anyone navigating the pressures of work and everyday life.
You can also download our free Handle Pressure tipsheet for practical tools you can start using straight away.
To find out more about our Handle Pressure sessions, get in touch at hello@mindapples.org