Campaigns are full of stress. Know the negative ways you respond to stress and how to rebound.
Under pressure, we ALL react differently. Hopefully, we’re not talking about anger and losing your temper, but it probably doesn’t take much consideration for you to remember specific ways that stress alters your normal responses.
In my case, when stress and pressure mount, I put on blinders and go head down, feet forward. This is a great asset in focusing my energy and overcoming obstacles. But it also has downsides. I’ve found that I’m less likely to empathize effectively with others or recognize when I’m being overly callous. Over years of working in politics, I’ve had plenty of opportunities to deal well and poorly with stress…and I’ve done plenty of both.
I’ve also learned that the best way for me to dump stress is a one-two punch: briefly disconnect to get by myself and then get in some kind of physical exercise. The combination of peace, silence and endorphins from physical exertion do wonders for my attitude and outlook.
Knowing these potential weak points helps me avoid them though. If I hadn’t made and identified those traps, I wouldn’t be nearly as effective at combating them in the future.
Take some time to consider the strengths and weaknesses of how you deal with stress and pressure. Get feedback from trusted advisors and prepare yourself to purposefully avoid those traps in the future.
Campaigns are full of stress. Know the negative ways you respond to stress and how to rebound.
To find out more about what it takes to win a political campaign, go to MyCampaignCoach.com. You can also check out our interviews with Candidates, Elected Officials, Consultants and Campaign Staff on the How to Run for Office Podcast! On Facebook, you can find our campaign mastermind group by searching for the Elite Campaign Mastermind and our page under My Campaign Coach. If you want to help support our efforts, you can do that with financial support via Patreon.com/mycampaigncoach or by giving us a nice rating on iTunes!
