By David Yeabsley.
I found this to be a very entertaining and well written book about Adam’s time as a junior doctor.
He tells many anecdotes and amusing tales of what the medical profession has to deal with from the general public. Some of the stories you just will not believe, and you will have to put the book down for a few minutes in disbelief!
But for me the book whilst entertaining has another message ‘Is my job and life really stressful?’ or should I look at my life and work in a different context compared to what this junior doctor and many others in the medical profession have to deal with. Sometimes we compete on how stressful our lives are. Instead we should be thankful for what we have got and thank those who really have to deal with tough situations and decisions.
CONTROLLING THE CONTROLLABLES...
We have all heard of the concept of controlling the controllable, in other words - just focus on the things we can control and not worry or put energy in to situations outside of our control.
This is done by managing our own reaction and responses to situations instead of worrying about activities outside of our control.
So, what are you going to practice in terms of not creating self-imposed pressure? Yes, it does take practice but its like going to the gym to practice your sit ups, in my case learning to swim the front crawl (nearly there) learning another language or a piece of music, they all need practice and patience if we want to get better at them.
‘Today David you really are going to have to step up and demonstrate how good you are, this is an opportunity to show that you are good at what you do.’
I don’t blame others for the situation instead I focus on performing to the best of my abilities and see the situation as an important challenge.
I also often put the situation in to context and think about Adam Kay's book. He tells of the situations that he and his colleagues are regularly faced with. I am not sure I could have coped and stayed calm in the situations he describes, and it puts my so-called stressful days into context. This is another great way of thinking when I feel everything is working against me and challenging me.
We can easily just see the situation through our own eyes and forget what other people are potentially going through.
After reading this book I have promised myself that I will never complain about having a stressful day or that my job causes me stress, but challenge myself to work well under pressure!
Have a wonderful day - and read the book if you get a chance!
All the best,
TOP TIPS ON DEALING WITH PRESSURE AT WORK:
Be better organised and prepared – Know what you’re going to do and when you’re going to do it!
Don’t pre-empt someone else’s response because they often do it that way – Listen to what they have to say and why they have this opinion or idea.
Communicating more clearly – By asking better questions!
Listen to understand – “Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.” (Stephen R. Covey).
Have a plan B and C and perhaps D – Things may not always work out the way you thought!
Deal with the facts and not from missed placed perceptions.
Don’t listen to gossip and rumours – it’s negative and it’s a waste of your precious time.
Improve your own mindset and way of thinking – being open minded opens doors!
Feeling under pressure at work is a real issue for all of us but sometimes it is worth putting your day and the situation that you are faced with into context.