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Stressed or under pressure?

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Time Management Activity : Stressed or under pressure?

Time Management Activity: Stressed or Under Pressure?

Category: Games & Activities

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Purpose

This activity helps participants understand the difference between pressure and stress, and identifies strategies to reduce stress in everyday work and life situations.

Instructions

  1. Start by asking the group: “What is the difference between pressure and stress?” Encourage multiple responses.
  2. Once a few people have responded, ask everyone to pay close attention.
  3. Tell them you have a list of names and you will randomly choose someone to come to the front and sing a nursery rhyme.
  4. Pretend to check the list, create suspense, then suddenly say: “Never mind, we’re not doing that.”
  5. Observe and reflect on their reactions—expect laughter, sighs of relief, or discomfort.

Debrief

Explain that the exercise placed everyone under the same external pressure. However, what each person did with that pressure—whether they turned it into stress—was their individual response. Pressure is external, while stress is internal.

Types of Stress

  • Internal Stress: Worry, overthinking, self-doubt
  • Environmental Stress: Noise, crowds, physical workspace
  • Chronic Stress: Constant overwork, prolonged fatigue, or sustained high demands

Use the bucket analogy: our lives are like a bucket that slowly fills. If you don’t relieve stress, the bucket overflows—leading to breakdowns or burnout. We must regularly create outlets to “punch holes in the bucket.”

Discussion Questions

  • How did it feel when you thought you might be chosen to sing?
  • Can you describe how pressure has turned into stress for you recently?
  • What are some ways to release stress healthily in your day-to-day routine?

Alternative Activities

Activity: The Balloon Stretch

Give each participant a balloon. Ask them to slowly inflate it while thinking of a current stressor. Once everyone’s balloon is inflated, ask them to tie it off. Then instruct them to release the air (safely) as a metaphor for stress release. Discuss how holding on to stress (air in the balloon) builds pressure, while releasing it in healthy ways prevents a “burst.”

Activity: Stress Sorting

Prepare cards with various situations written on them (e.g., “tight deadline,” “criticism from a boss,” “family conflict”). Ask participants to sort the cards into two categories: Pressure and Stress. Discuss disagreements and explore whether any of the situations could fall into both categories depending on how they are processed internally.

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