It’s just under a week since I got back from TEDx San Juan Island, where I gave my second TEDx talk. The theme of the event was “Origins” which was a great subject to work with when it comes to stress because as humans stress is our primal reaction to danger from both a physical and mental perspective.
I can’t wait to share the video of the talk I gave which was called “The Key To Staying Calm In A Stressed Out World”, but until that becomes available I wanted to share my journey and experiences of TEDx San Juan Island.
Giving a TEDx talk is a pretty major thing for anyone and for me it was no exception. It’s an incredible platform to influence and spread your message both at the event and then digitally afterwards. For me, I got to influence leaders of the future at the event and I will be able to share the video of my talk to my online audience of business leaders and corporate executives for years to come.
But, with all of these positives comes the equal pressure to create/write the perfect talk, perform it on stage (in English) and deliver my message to thousands if not hundreds of thousands of audience members and online viewers.
Even though this was my second TEDx talk and I thought maybe it would be an easier process this time, I was definitely challenged to create an even more valuable talk. The hands on approach of the team was welcomed as they guided me to bring out my message and tweak it to fall in line with their vision for the event.
I’ll admit that sometimes it was overwhelming and sometimes I could feel the stress creeping in as I prepared the talk, and then got down to the business of learning it and rehearsing/“performing” it.
Remember, I’m Swedish and although I speak fluent english it’s can still be daunting to stand up and give a talk from memory in a different language.
So, what did I do to overcome the stress creeping in?
- First I went back to basics and made sure to take care of myself by keeping to my daily routines of gently exercising, sleeping well and eating at regular times.
Your daily routines are the foundations of your health and help you in managing your stress and getting through your day calmly.
- Secondly, I prepared and organised myself to make sure I had enough time to put the work into the project.
One of the major triggers of stress is being unprepared and disorganised, and although we can “wing” some things in our lives and in the workplace, being prepared keeps things calm and on track. Plus, it gives you the extra time to deal with the things that will go wrong or change on the way.
- Thirdly, I reached out for help from experts.
Reaching out for help is a big sign of strength (not weakness like most people think). We’re not supposed to be experts at everything and it’s ok to say. “Ok, I need some help with this to get it right!” In fact you’re more likely to be successful if you work with others towards your goals.
Leaders just like you will be faced with events and projects that will feel daunting and you could instantly feel a wave of stress rushing over you, or you can remember that there is a process that can help you achieve the goal of the event or project successfully and more importantly….Calmly!
It’s so important that we enjoy the journey towards our goals and we miss out on that if we are stressed out!
In summary:
When you’re faced with a daunting task, check in on yourself and remember to:
- Eat energizing, healthy foods regularly. Sleep regular hours every night to rest your body and mind. Exercise your body to boost your energy and clear your mind.
- Be prepared and organised. Take some time out before you start to map out everything that needs to be done and by when, giving yourself a little extra time for unexpected things.
- Reach out for help. Find the people who are good at the things you’re struggling with. Let them help and guide you so that you learn from them and overcome the obstacles without wasting time trying to work it all out yourself.
If this has helped you in any way, please share your journey or questions in the comments below, and if you feel like you need a bit of extra help you can download my e-book, Leadership With Less Stress, below to set you up with the foundations of stress management.
To your success!
P.s. I’m hoping to get the TEDx San Juan Island talk back on video in the next month but until then (and in case you missed it) here is my talk from Tedx PSU Berks.
