MENTAL HEALTH: Caught in a pressure cooker?

PERFORM well at work. Keep on top of your finances. Spend precious time with family. Don’t neglect friends. Be active and healthy. Pressures in life come from a lot of different places and take on many different forms.
Sustained pressure will have an impact on how you present in the world and also your mental health in some situations. Having some pressure placed on you can be a good thing, as it can be a useful motivator in helping you to do your best. However, if its toll is too great, the effects can be less favourable, so it’s important to understand where the pressure is coming from. Alongside this, consider whether this pressure is helpful or not.
You may place pressure on yourself; it is something we all do on occasion, as it is essential to grow and achieve. However, it is worth paying attention to whether you are caught in a loop of defining yourself based on your successes or popularity. If this is the case, putting yourself under pressure can be somewhat unhelpful, as the bar will be set very high, and on days where you don’t reach it your mood and beliefs may plummet to a low place.
Beyond the pressure you place on yourself, there may be certain expectations of you within your circle or community. As a child, it can feel like a race to accomplish what your siblings or peers have achieved. This feeling can also be carried into adulthood.
When it to managing these pressures, it comes down to you prioritising which ones are most important to you. Think about which kinds of pressures are positive, in that they bring out goodness in or for you.
Also, ask yourself, are the end goals of these pressures truly realistic? Which pressures are just draining or wearing you down? Being clear on this will make it easier for you to give your attention to the best place.
If an goal or achievement seems out of reach, is there a possibility that you could adjust your expectations a little bit? Or else keep hold of the goal, but space out the timeline to achieving it in order to lower the pressure and allow for any blips that may crop up in the journey. If this is not possible, then maybe it’s time to let go of this expectation for yourself.
We can not completely eliminate all of life’s stresses or pressures, and likewise we cannot spend all of our time thinking about them. Remember, if you find that you do dedicate a lot of time working towards fulfilling expectations, you may be missing out on your life’s present. With this in mind, try to identify the coping mechanisms that can help you in times of high pressure.
For some people that’s getting fresh air, for others it’s having a chat with a close friend. Others still will benefit from some quiet, reflective time out.
Again, there is no one solution. It’s about seeking out what helps you personally, and building on that into the future to ensure that you don’t become consumed by the pressures in your life.

Sadhbh Dunne is a qualified life coach based in Westport. She is the founder of Ember Coaching (embercoaching.ie) and can be reached at sadhbh@embercoaching.ie.