We reward Olympic athletes with gold medals for setting records. We value the person who is able to compete and win on their own terms. But athletes don’t win races on their own: these exceptional people train every day and work with coaches who teach them how to perform under pressure.

Think of yourself as an athlete in your own life. When you’re entering a time of increased pressure you need to continue to train. You also need to share what’s going on with your team at work and your family and friends.

As we take on more assignments we begin to feel pressure, and that pressure brings on stress that’s bad for your health, destructive to your productivity, and complicates your personal life. Here are some strategies for handling pressure at work and at home from Cydcor. Experiment with these tips, and over time, you will develop your ability to achieve success under pressure.

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Be a Good Communicator

Alert your supervisor when you’re entering a stressful time. If you decide that you’ll have a problem completing your assignments you must inform your supervisor. If you’re unsure about getting something done you need to be responsible and professional enough to ask for help. Be proactive and raise a red flag when you see trouble on the horizon—not when your ship has started to sink.

Control Your Emotions

Problems will arise and pressure will grow depending on time, resources, and the difficulty of the assignment. We often react emotionally when we start to experience pressure at work. Some of us perceive pressure as a challenge while others might experience it as a threat. While emotions make it hard to think clearly and limit your ability to solve problems, know that it’s okay to feel the emotions. Transform them into the energy required to complete the task.

Make a Plan

Climbing a mountain seems impossible, but taking one-step forward is a much more manageable goal. Get the pressure you’re feeling out of your head and onto paper. Break it down into smaller tasks. Be specific. Assign a time frame for each of the steps. If possible, delegate tasks. Make notes about the process once the task is complete so you’ll have an even better plan the next time a similar situation occurs.

Cultivate Bravery

Sometimes, pressure appears seemingly out of nowhere. When something goes wrong you need to be brave. It’s time to change your thinking. Instead of choosing panic, recognize the problem and then tell yourself, “Well, that’s inconvenient, so it’s a good thing I have my notes and I’ve practiced for this situation.” Bravery comes from practice and experience. Imagine what could go wrong and develop some possible responses. Write them down. Visualize yourself completing the tasks in a calm and relaxed manner.

Take Care of Yourself

During times of high pressure it’s easy to get distracted and forget to take care of yourself. It’s at these times that you need to be most aware of your health. Avoid fast foods or unhealthy comfort foods. Eat a balanced diet, drink lots of water, schedule short breaks during the day, get plenty of sleep, and try to get some type of exercise everyday. It relieves stress, lowers your blood pressure, and improves your mood.

Check out other blogs full of business advice from Cydcor, including Building and Maintaining Customer Relationships.

When it comes to handling stress on the job, studies have found that 90% of top performers in the workplace are able to overcome negative reactions by managing their emotions in times of stress. The odd thing about stress is that it is an imperative feeling to have in order to make decisions, as our brains are wired in the way where it may be difficult for one to take action if not under at least some level of this emotional state.

It’s easy to let stress overwhelm you, and as the research suggests, it’s how one manages such stress that can be the key toward success.

The University of California in San Francisco has conducted multiple studies into how people handle stress. Their research shows that one quality many who handle stress well have in common is their ability to say “no.” Always saying “yes” can place heaps of seemingly unending responsibilities onto a person and can add unnecessary strain on both workload and emotions. Know and understand when you cap out on the job as far as your tasks, and be sure to communicate to your team or managers when you feel you are at the peak of your capacity. Don’t be afraid to speak up!

Exercise is an important factor in keeping stress under control, as when stress comes up at work, it’s usually the first thing that goes in one’s routine. Get your body moving at some point during the day--even ten minutes can greatly help release tension and get you motivated to conquer.

Another huge step in managing stress involves managing the negative self-talk one might engage in. Ruminating on negative thoughts, even ‘what ifs’ that might have occurred can compound stress unnecessarily.

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The Cydcor Community chose to review Don't Sweat the Small Stuff by Dr. Richard Carlson as a great book for personal development and stress management.

Description of this book: Dr. Richard Carlson has built a career on teaching people how to manage stress and let go of the minor pressures of a fast paced American lifestyle.  This is the original in a series of books on making life happier and more manageable by not “sweating” the small stuff, and pointing out even in the subtitle “it’s all small stuff”.  It is easy to get frustrated and hung up over things like bills, appointments, accidents and more hurdles in life, but the main message of this book is that stress and worry only make situations work.  Training your brain to think about solutions rather than fret is a powerful lifestyle choice.

Cydcor recommends this book to leaders because: Stress can be detrimental to your health and career.  Stressed out people also radiate negative energy and cause others to feel stressed or demotivated.  Good managers need to learn how to project productive and positive energy in order to maintain workplace harmony.  This book provides great perspective and can help you change your mental state to becoming a calm, happy and inspiring leader.  The book offers easy to commit to strategies that incorporate small changes that make a huge difference.

Our favorite part: "Without question, many of us have mastered the neurotic art of spending much of our lives worrying about a variety of things all at once." Dr. Carlson writes with whimsy and clarity that makes this book easy to read and convey its message.  This is one that will stick with you for life.

Cydcor is a leading sales company that specializes in face-to-face relationships and professional development.  Follow Cydcor on LinkedIn or Twitter for more professional development advice.