Stressful Situation Example 2
When I am in a stressful situation, I often stop to take a step back and allow myself some time to think, plan and prioritise. For example, if Ive got a lot of different University projects Im working on all at once, I become more efficient with my time. I break the big tasks up into separate, individual activities, working out which take the longest, which I can complete quite quickly, and which have the nearest deadlines. It then becomes more manageable and far less stressful.
Tip : Practice The 4 As Of Stress Management
While stress is an automatic response from your nervous system, some stressors arise at predictable times: your commute to work, a meeting with your boss, or family gatherings, for example. When handling such predictable stressors, you can either change the situation or change your reaction. When deciding which option to choose in any given scenario, its helpful to think of the four As: avoid, alter, adapt, or accept.
Interview Question: How Do You Handle Stress And Pressure
Below are 17 examples of different ways that you can answer this interview question. Choose which one seems most suited to your particular experience, personality, and the role that youre applying for.
Example 1: Prioritizing my responsibilities and tasks is how I best deal with stress, as I know it could easily get out of hand if I didnt have a clear plan of action, Knowing what is most important and then working from there helps me to take it one step at a time and stay calm even if the situation is challenging.
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Example 2: Communication is one of the best ways that I know to manage a stressful and high-pressure environment, as I find that most stress that people feel is due to confusion and not feeling clear about what to do.
Talking things through and being in constant communication about what needs to be done and asking people what they need to get their job done is a way that Ive previously handled stressful situations in a leadership role, keeping the whole team more calm.
Example 3: Actually, when I have the pressure of a deadline, I find that my work is more efficient and even more creative. So I enjoy this kind of pressure, and I dont generally feel that what might be a stressful situation actually creates any stress within me.
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References
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Tips About How Do You Handle Stress And Pressure :
Now here we will talk about 7 unexpected tips how do you handle stress and pressure. Which will help you to get out of situations like stress and pressure. Because there are many people who, after going under stress and pressure, are not able to get out of it quickly. So this article will help you to get out of these situations.
Give Examples Of Projects You Previously Handled:

In addition to stating the kind of working pressure which you have been used handling, you can also give examples of projects which you have previously successfully handled and expedited.
If these projects are famous ones then you are bound to get noticed by the interviewers as someone who really has an impressive CV and is worth employing. If you have a number of successful projects to boast of then, you should remember, that, half of your battle is won.
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Where Does Pressure Come From
There are two kinds of pressure internal and external.
Internal pressures stem from pushing yourself too hard, or from worrying about your ability to meet others’ expectations of you and those that you have of yourself. You might drive yourself to be your company’s number one salesperson, for example, or doubt your ability to perform at a speaking engagement.
External pressures come from the circumstances or the people around you a micromanager, for example, making you work in a certain way, or giving you a hefty workload that exceeds your capacity to deal with it.
Some external pressures have little connection with your job, but the way you react to them can negatively impact how you work. A long commute, illness, financial difficulties, family responsibilities, bereavements, or a dangerous workplace can all weigh heavily on you and affect how you behave.
In extreme cases, you may even feel pressured to take risks, to act against your values, or to take part in illegal activities, such as “massaging” figures to reduce your organization’s tax bill. Read our article, When to Speak Up , for advice on how best to handle these dangerous situations.
Mention Your Ability To Manage Stress
In addition to explaining how you work effectively under pressure, also mention the methods you use to manage workplace stress. This part of your answer may show the interviewer that you can handle the effects of constant pressure and indicate that you are able to perform well. Since constant stress can have a negative effect on overall productivity, employers value team members who can find ways of relieving work-related stress.
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Types Of Answers To Avoid:
- Stress? whats that- the robot
- Stress triggers me to act and work smarter- the lone wolf
- I usually take a step back when I feel stressed and plan an effective and best plan of action – Over planning employee
- Dude, blah blah blah. Just chill as it very common and happens at times- cool dude
Also, make sure to avoid a few people who handle stress negatively. Some of them are
- Angry stressor gets angry when stressed
- Sad sack goes into a sad and depressing emotion
- Shut down goes into shutdown mode
- Delegator passes the task to others
Though We have mentioned 15 points on how to answer this question. Let me sum up the whole thing in a few points
Share A Relevant Story
Provide an example of how you have handled stress in the workplace before. You want to give the interviewer an idea of how well you work in stressful situationsrather than of the ways in which stress can get to you.
You could tell your interviewer how you handle stress and pressure when youre at work, or you could give them a glimpse into your process by sharing a relevant story instead.
A compelling story allows us to set the scene for an interviewer and detail a time where you were caught in a stressful situation. What was going on? What was your mindset like? Did you immediately get strategic in figuring out a solution or take a break to figure out what to do next? You can then detail the steps you took to get out of it and the overall lessons that the experience taught you. By the end of the story, the interviewer should have a better understanding of how you react when the pressure is on and its the candidates who approach situations with grace and ease that most companies want to hire for their teams.
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How To Answer How Do You Handle Stress At Work
When the interviewer asks about stressful situations and how you handle stress, the best approach is to demonstrate that youve encountered these situations in the past and arent phased by it. And then, describe the steps you follow to calmly get through the challenge.
Its best if you can sound like you have a proven process/plan in place. Employers love to hear that you have a system or a series of steps that you follow that you know works for you.
Now that you know the right way to answer questions about how you deal with stress, lets look at some word-for-word examples:
Build Good Coping Skills
How well or how poorly we get through a stressful situation depends a lot on us. How we deal with stressful situations makes all the difference.
Here are some steps you can take to cope with a stressful situation.
1. Understand the Situation
- Take some time to think about the situation you’re facing. Try to describe your situation in a sentence or two. What’s stressful about this situation for you right now? It can help to write down your thoughts. For example: My family just moved, so I switched to a new school in the middle of the year. The stressful parts are not knowing anyone, missing my old friends, and dealing with all new schoolwork.
- Notice and name the feelings you have about the situation. Accept your feelings it’s understandable to feel the way you feel, given your situation. It can help to write down your feelings, too. For example: I feel lonely and sad because of missing old friends and my old school. I’m mad that we had to move, especially now. I’m worried about keeping up in math and social studies. I feel left out because I’m the new kid. I guess anyone would feel this way if they were in my situation.
- Learn more. Learn all you can about the situation you’re dealing with. This might include reading about it, talking to others, or finding out what others in your situation have done and what to expect. Learning helps you feel more confident and prepared plus it reminds you that you’re not the only one who has gone through this.
3. Take Action
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How To Thrive Under Pressure
A sensible lifestyle is central to coping with pressure, so exercise regularly, drink alcohol moderately, maintain a healthy diet, and get plenty of sleep. These commonsense steps aren’t enough on their own, however. Responding proactively to pressure can help you to manage its negative impact on you. Here are some strategies to help.
Why Employers Ask About How You Handle Stress

Interviewers want to make the best hire for each role. If they know that a certain role sometimes involves stressful situations, they may want to verify that a candidate can react to that environment in a constructive rather than destructive manner. Employers may not want to hire candidates who:
- Outwardly express stress in the form of anger or sadness
- Are reactive to stress in a disruptive way
- Allow stress to impede or degrade the quality of work
- Become overwhelmed or shut down as a result of stress
-
Put themselves and/or others in unnecessary and stressful situations
On the other hand, employees who understand their reaction to stress are an asset to hiring managers. They will appreciate a candidate who:
- Is motivated by healthy pressure and uses it to produce quality, efficient work
- Avoids stress by planning ahead and prioritizing work
- Keeps open lines of transparent, constructive communication with managers and colleagues
- Has healthy boundaries
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Read Also: How To Deal With Stress And Sadness
Can Stress Affect You Physically
Stress, especially chronic stress, definitely has the ability to affect you physically.
In the short term, stress can affect your sleep and eating patterns, which can also affect your ability to think, function, and make healthy choices for yourself and others. Once the stress is over, your body returns fairly quickly to homeostasis without too much trouble.
If you experience long-term stress, your body never gets the opportunity to return to homeostasis. When it exists in a constant state of fight or flight for a longer period of time, nearly every system of your body can be affected – cardiovascular, digestive, immune, sleep, and even reproductive. Its something that should be taken very seriously.
This can even lead to physical symptoms like GI distress , headaches, and getting sick more frequently, even without any noticeable mental signs. Your body may let you know that youre stressed out before your mind is even aware.
If your stress lasts long enough, it can even lead to more serious health issues including heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure. This is because stress begins to play a management role in your body, pushing its focus on staying alive, resulting in many of the smaller processes it deems less important fall to the wayside.
Its no wonder that knowing how to better handle stress is such an important conversation to have – it can literally be lifesaving.
Healthy Ways To Cope With Stress
Feeling emotional and nervous or having trouble sleeping and eating can all be normal reactions to stress. Here are some healthy ways you can deal with stress:
- Take breaks from watching, reading, or listening to news stories, including those on social media. Its good to be informed but hearing about the traumatic event constantly can be upsetting. Consider limiting news to just a couple of times a day and disconnecting from phone, tv, and computer screens for a while.
- Take care of yourself. Eat healthy, exercise, get plenty of sleep, and give yourself a break if you feel stressed out.
- Take care of your body.
- Take deep breaths, stretch, or meditateexternal icon.
- Continue with routine preventive measures as recommended by your healthcare provider.
- Get vaccinated with a COVID-19 vaccine when available.
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Unexpected Tips How Do You Handle Stress And Pressure
We will talk about 7 unexpected tips how do you handle stress and pressure. Because the stress is increasing day by day. Thats why the question arises in the minds of many people that how do you deal with stress. And many people want that how to relieve stress. Because increasing stress and pressure makes everyone feel uncomfortable.
So, firstly we are talking about what is the stress and pressure. Secondly, we are talking about tips about how do you handle stress and pressure. Thirdly, we are talking about how to relieve stress and many more things.
How To Handle Stress When You’re Under Pressure
It’s easy to be able to manage oneself when everything is smooth sailing and there are no issues. However, this feat becomes considerably more complicated when you’re under pressure and feeling stress for whatever reason. At the end of the day, we cannot control everything that happens in our lives, but we do have the power to control ourselves and the manner in which we respond. In so many situations, the manner in which a person chooses to conduct themselves can determine whether or not a situation improves or worsens.
Maintain an Internal Locus of Control
The value of an internal locus of control is undeniable, especially when you find yourself under pressure in certain situations. An internal locus of control is a mindset which simply affirms that you are in control of your situation, as opposed to your situation being in control of you. Sometimes, it can be challenging to have this mindset, especially in difficult situations. Many people are directly and indirectly conditioned to believe that they are victims or merely products of their circumstances. In actuality, however, circumstances and situations can be changed, according to a person’s mindset and actions. Whenever you find yourself under pressure, maintaining an internal locus of control is more important than ever.
Live a Healthy Lifestyle
Think Before Acting
Change Your Perspective
Have an Endgame in Mind
Knowing When to Ask for Help
Friends, Family and Loved Ones
Professional Therapy
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What Are The Physical Symptoms Of Stress
In addition to the mental toll that stress can take on the body, people often wonder if there are early physical signs of stress that they can look out for.
Here is just a small list of the many physical symptoms of stress. In addition to the signs mentioned above, if any of these look familiar, you should take a deeper look at your stress level and take steps to minimize it.
- Dizziness
- Fatigue
- Loss of appetite
In addition to physical signs of stress, stress can also reveal itself through emotional and behavioral changes. These changes include frequent panic attacks, crying, becoming withdrawn from friends and family, or being easily irritated or angered. If you notice any of these changes, make sure to deal with them as soon as you can before they get out of control. Its much easier to put out a small fire than a big one.
Nurse Job Interview Questions About Handling Stress
Nursing is not an easy job and often involves juggling medical care and communications with doctors, patients, and families, all while potentially dealing with life and death daily.
Since nursing jobs can be difficult, its more than likely the hiring manager will ask job interview questions about stress, how it affects you, and how you handle it.
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Deborah Sweeney is the CEO of MyCorporation.com. MyCorporation is a leader in online legal filing services for entrepreneurs and businesses, providing start-up bundles that include corporation and LLC formation, registered agent, DBA, and trademark & copyright filing services. MyCorporation does all the work, making the business formation and maintenance quick and painless, so business owners can focus on what they do best. Follow her on and on .
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