Many books have been written about pressure and how to stay calm under pressure. My reference for immense pressure comes from my professional rugby career and captaining teams in highly pressured games. Standing in front of sixty thousand people and singing the National Anthem does come with a lot of pressure when you are wearing a Springbok jersey. All Springbok supporters expect that you must win all the games you play.
Unfortunately, when I was captain of the Springboks, they had to lower their standards — but they never do. You sing Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika in a 60,000-seater full of Springbok supporters, then you walk to the Haka where 23 All Black players show you that they want to kill you. That is pressure, and I often think back with fond memories about those games. I wish I could have played a few more of those games. Every person handles pressure in a different way, and often the pressure we put on ourselves is nearly as bad as facing the Haka.
Here are five tips on how I managed (or maybe not!) to cope under immense pressure.
1. Control the Controllables
There will always be things that are out of your control — the referee, the crowd, the weather, and the pitch. You have to focus on the things that you can control and make sure that you do them as well as possible. In life, there are so many uncontrollable things that can derail you, so it becomes even more important. Your focus on how you control the few things that you can in your life becomes crucial. Your health, your family, your community, your friends, and your spirit are a few areas you have some control over. Be sure to make the best out of every opportunity you have to work on these five areas.
2. Exercise
One of the easiest ways for me to de-stress is to do exercise. Any form of exercise can work — hiking in the mountains, mountain biking, running, paddling, surfing — whatever ticks the box. Even just a stroll on the beach is good for the soul.
3. Know Your Triggers
You have to know what it is that makes you feel short of breath. Once you have figured out what the problem is, then you know how to deal with it when it comes along. Mental strength is a great attribute to have in your weaponry, and it is something that you can work on. Once you feel the trigger, breathe in deeply (through the nose) and out through the mouth twice. The breathing helped me to calm down and focus on the job at hand. What is your coping mechanism?
4. Positive Self-Talk and Positive Friends
I am often flabbergasted by how negative people can be at times. Surround yourself with positive individuals who encourage you, not drag you down. Support your friends when you can see they are under pressure too.
5. How Do You Eat an Elephant? One Bite at a Time!
Chaos makes pressure even worse, so I have always found that I feel less under pressure when I am organized and when I prioritize the massive task into smaller tasks. Life is tough, and it definitely isn’t fair — and the sooner we make peace with that, the better. Always try to be the best version of yourself and remember that there are only 24 hours in a day. Seven hours of sleep also helps with stress.
All the best in everything that you plan to do this month!
GET IN TOUCH
If you would like to get in touch with me about my key note presentation, Debunking Motivation, please send an email to corne@cornekrige.com. Visit my website to review my speaker sheet for more info. I also share my story on my social media pages on Facebook and LinkedIn.