Svitra Rajkumar - Week 12 - The Power of Pressure
Pressure holds a lot more power in our daily lives than we realize. I often feel like I can only start my work towards the end of the day or procrastinate until I’m a few days away from the deadline. Then I find myself working faster, the deadline being a motivation for me, and I hardly get distracted from what I am doing. The pressure from the nearing deadline pushes me to focus and put in my best effort, rather than if I allow myself a lot of time. The more time I have the less serious the task feels and I prioritize other activities with closer deadlines.
Pressure isn’t just a last-minute motivator though; it’s a force that shapes our actions, decisions, and even our identities. It has the power to bring out the best in us, pushing us beyond our perceived limits. When we’re under pressure, we tap into a level of focus and determination that might not otherwise surface. Deadlines, expectations, and responsibilities all create a sense of urgency that forces us to rise to the occasion.
Think about athletes preparing for a championship game, performers stepping onto a stage, or even surgeons in high-stakes operations. They don’t have the luxury of waiting for motivation to strike—they rely on pressure to heighten their skills and sharpen their instincts. In many ways, pressure is what turns potential into performance. It demands discipline, resilience, and the ability to adapt under stress.
Of course, pressure isn’t always comfortable. It can feel overwhelming, even paralyzing at times. But that discomfort is often a sign of growth. When we embrace pressure instead of fearing it, we learn how to thrive in difficult situations. We discover that we’re capable of more than we thought, and that sometimes, the best version of ourselves emerges when the stakes are high.
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Hey Svitra! I love how you focused on pressure because, especially at our current point in our lives, it is definitely something many students can relate to! I agree with you that pressure is important, but I believe pressure is not essential.
ReplyDeletePressure, like you explained, pushes us to our limits and, when we embrace it, it can make us even more skilled than we could imagine previously. I also believe, however, that too much pressure leads to excess stress which ultimately deteriorates our mental well being. In some of the cases you mentioned, pressure is unavoidable (like with doctors, athletes, and performers), but many people, like ourselves, often face pressure from society and school which can often be avoided and reduce overall stress.
Still, altogether, I liked hearing your take on the idea that we have to adapt and overcome pressure! Pressure is something that will always be present in our lives one way or another, so the important part is embracing it and using it to our advantage. I wish I could have heard more of your analysis on the multifaceted topic though! Thank you for sharing, Svitra!
Hey Svitra, I completely agree with you that pressure is an incredibly powerful force. To us, pressure situations range from upcoming deadlines (like you mentioned) to high school sports. Though procrastination can be avoided, I agree that the pressure of an upcoming deadline instills a level of focus and determination that can not be found elsewhere. Embracing these situations leads to growth and can shape our identities. For example, someone who handles pressure well will most likely thrive in situations that usually induce anxiety in the general population. The focus, dopamine, and stress created by pressure will all be heightened and utilized to their advantage. Athletes face pressure every day, making pressure situations feel normal after repeated occurrences. This has likely shaped their identities to view pressure as a motivation rather than an anxiety-inducing force. Thanks for sharing, Svitra!
ReplyDeleteHi Svitra! Wow, your blog post was formatted really weird lol. But on a more serious note, I feel like there was so much that I could relate to in your writing this week, and I think that procrastination is something that we all struggle with. Although it’s something that brings out stress in a lot of us, I feel like I can really agree with your statement about how we work better under pressure. It definitely pushes us to focus and actually work hard, and I really like the way you described it as forcing us to “rise to the occasion.” The example you included of athletes performing better under pressure is something that I also really resonate with, and I find that I almost always manage to skate better during more high-stakes competitions compared to just local ice skating competitions.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I think that one important thing to note is that putting pressure on yourself isn’t always something that is good and this power also has many negative impacts on both our physical and mental wellbeing. I definitely feel like it’s better to be prepared and on task regardless of when the deadline is, especially since doing work under pressure may cause us to skip corners or not perform to the best of our capabilities. For example, during my POAS research paper, I realized that I made many mistakes in formatting my essay due to my poor decision to start writing it only after winter break, instead of making use of all the time that Mrs. Smith gave us. I would love to hear your thoughts on the negative sides of pressure, Svitra, but I still really enjoyed your blog post overall! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Svitra! Your formatting in your blog was so interesting, it had me confused for a while until I realised I could just move my cursor to the right! I love how you wrote a blog about pressure, especially because we are going through a year where there is a lot of pressure on us, especially in our junior classes. We are currently in a time where we have to worry about the rest of our life and figure out what colleges we want to apply for, and all I can say is that I am super nervous but at the same time really scared. Although I hate the pressure from classes when it comes to certain deadlines I do agree that due to these deadlines I work faster and more quickly. However I can not say that my work comes out any better. I really like your ending message; that we should learn to embrace pressure instead of fearing it, and that we are better when there are higher stakes.
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ReplyDeleteHi Svitra. I found that I related to your topic very well. Given the workload and recent deadlines we’ve had both in APENG or in school, I’ve felt a particular degree of exhaustion mixed with thrill. I felt this especially during the POAS presentation as I had an opening to obtain only a few nights to develop my slides and a number of my citations and their data. While I didn’t “cram” work, I still had a smaller window time to prepare than most. However, this pressure also extended to be a motivator as you describe.
ReplyDeleteI liked and consumed Kanye or Ye’s music before APENG. I was a casual listener then, leaving my understanding of Kanye West and his transformation to be surface-level. Now I remind myself that it was POAS that pushed me to research and discover Kanye’s life experiences and actions. My motivation would have surely subsided if APENG didn’t require me to follow Ye—especially given recent events. So while it may feel like a limiter, pressure is ultimately beneficial in our growth during this time. Thanks for sharing, Svitra! - Rafael Montes Barrera