How to Overcome Pressures by Society

You may feel overwhelmed by the pressures of society. This may be compounded by family pressure, peer pressure, even your own expectations. We're all surrounded by images of people who seem to be successful in every area of their lives; they succeed at work, have all the trappings of material wealth and have a happy home life. It is quite easy to look at these images and feel a sense of failure. If you delve more deeply into them, of course, all may not be as well as it seems. Try not to beat yourself up and feel inadequate. There are steps you can take to make this better.

Instructions

• 1

  Challenge your thinking. If you find yourself thinking in a negative way about your coping skills or your achievements, stop in your tracks and question this. Write a list of all the positive things in your life. Write another list of your achievements. You will probably be surprised at how long both lists are. Overload can make people panic and doubt their ability.

• 2

  Review your work, home and other commitments. Sometimes people take on far too much. This might work for a while, but if your circumstances change, you may feel that the whole structure is going to topple. Look at what you do, and explore ways of decreasing the pressure. Practice saying no to some things. This is a sign of strength rather than weakness.

• 3

  Find an activity that relieves your stress and pursue this with the same commitment you give to your work. You may find running relaxing, or you may enjoy the benefits of yoga or meditation. You may even decide to combine some of these activities. This will help you to find some balance in your life.

• 4

  Explore what is really important to you. There is truth in the adage that nobody ever says on their death bed that they wish they'd spent more time in the office. Step back from the rat race and look at it objectively. Sometimes people strive hard for a position that does not quite live up to expectations. So it is important to enjoy the journey, rather than the destination.