Can you withstand stress? And how do you take care of your well-being at the end of the working day? Jaakko Sahimaa, an organisational psychologist, entrepreneur and influencer, gives the best tips for improving your ability to withstand stress and recovering in a busy working life.
The human mind is like an elastic band: It is surprisingly flexible in different pressurised situations. However, if the stress situation continues for a long time or if the total load becomes too great, the elastic band may break and the well-being of the person may fail.
"We all encounter stressful situations in both our work and personal lives. Fortunately, stress tolerance and resilience are skills that each of us can learn," says Jaakko Sahimaa, organisational psychologist, entrepreneur and influencer.
Stress tolerance improves with exposure
According to Sahimaa, stress tolerance means that people are able to control their actions, thinking and emotions even in situations involving a lot of stress. But how do you avoid losing mental flexibility and elasticity in a stressful situation and still be able to work efficiently and recover?
"Gaining experience increases stress tolerance. But a very good way to learn to tolerate stress is also by exposing yourself to it," Sahimaa says.
So, think about which situations and what kinds of things would help you to be exposed to stress in a suitable way, and thereby develop your ability to withstand stress through positive experiences.
Recovery is equally important
Top athletes focus on recovery almost as intensively as their sporting performance. Recovery is also very important for succeeding in working life. The most important task of recovery is therefore to ensure that the elastic band of the mind does not remain in the state of tension but loosens sufficiently to the relaxed normal state.
For your own well-being, it is good to notice the factors in your life that charge your batteries and those that consume your own mental energy.
Sahimaa highlights four different key factors that help with sufficient recovery and sufficient loosening of the elastic band to be able to take on new challenges.
"You need to be able to psychologically detach yourself from the stress factors of your work or personal life. Another important factor is that you should be able to control your own free time.
"Skill management experiences, such as hobbies where you can use your competence and immerse yourself in what you do, are good ways to recover. In addition, relaxation methods such as going to the sauna or being in nature are an essential recovery factor," Sahimaa sums up.