There is a relationship between stress and performance and there is a lot of research on this as well as how we bring in the discussion of resilience and its part in the equation to help us perform at our best.
As you can see in the performance-stress curve, having too little challenge will lead to us being bored as it doesn’t provide much in the way of motivation but when there’s too much the other way, we will get overwhelmed which in turn affects our performance negatively.
We know we cannot avoid stress altogether. Some stress will help to motivate us to seek direction, goals and pursuits in life. This leads to feelings of accomplishment and fulfilment. Then there is the stress which arises when challenges or situations seem way beyond our ability to control or manage.
Given this relationship, it suggests we need just enough stress to provide motivation but not so much that we feel overwhelmed. A mild to moderate amount of short-term stress can lead to an acute stress response that provides us with the motivation and energy we need, just when we need it (an example would be performing in an interview).
However, if we all experience stress differently, the optimal level of stress for each of us won’t be the same as it is for someone else. What the “just the right amount of stress” for one person may be an overwhelming level of stress for another. Some people thus perform better under pressure than others. Our life experiences, beliefs, values and fears may all play a role in how we view and deal with stress. The following factors may also help explain:
Task specific factors/ task complexity
Even when we are under a lot of pressure, we can probably still perform simple tasks very well or perhaps tasks we enjoy and align with more. However, when we are tackling a complex or unfamiliar task, having a low-pressure environment will help. Building this factor into our upskilling plans will help.
Skill Level
Our own skill level can play a part: if something we are tackling is completely new to us, that alone may be enough to provide a challenge. We feel motivated in this situation, interested, and engaged as we tackle these things. The flipside is if we’ve been doing something for a while and have gained good mastery of it. In this case it would be easy to feel bored. We may then need a little incentive to get motivated and excited again. Maybe it’s time to revisit some goals and areas we can develop?
Confidence & Mindset
Our positive mindset and high level of confidence will help us perform better under pressure. When we are filled with positive thoughts and a mindset which says “I’ve got this” it will help us perform when the pressure is on.
Self-confidence not only helps us to be at ease with ourselves and our work but also plays a big part to help us perform better when the challenges arise. Activities such as the three below may help to build your confidence.
1. Reviewing past achievements
2. Developing confident habits
3. Setting confidence-boosting goals
In summary, which also brings me to bring in a short note on the role of resilience: at work, our resilience will help enhance the performance-stress curve for us. At the low end of the peak performance zone (where we are bored and unmotivated), we can self-motivate through our own goals. When we find ourselves in the overwhelm or overload zone (where anxiety and burn out can occur), using our resilience skills will help us recover and move back to our peak performance zone.
It is thus important to build our resiliency so that we can bounce back from adversity or big challenges and increase our capacity to perform at our best, allowing us to better deal with stress.
Credit: intouchmagazine.com.au
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