Under Pressure

Let's talk about pressure. Because, let's be honest, it's become almost normal to put pressure on ourselves no matter who we are, where we live or the way we live. You might feel it more than others depending on the job you do, but I feel that lately, it's just everywhere.

The good thing is, I think that sometimes we all need a bit of pressure to finally start on a new project or accomplish a hard task. Sometimes, feeling the pressure gives us this extra bit of motivation that we needed, this kick in the butt that puts us on the right track.

But I feel that unfortunately, there are too many bad effects and too many traps that you might fall in. I don't think I would be the first one to say that as a freelance graphic designer, I've felt the pressure to be awesome at my job, to be better than the other ones out there, and faster, and smarter, and quirkier... And the list goes on! If you're lacking a bit of confidence in yourself, it's too easy to feel in doubt all the time and to start pressuring yourself to be better at everything.

My main issue has been social media. I love sharing and meeting new people on social media, and really, that's one of the best tools out there for showing your work and getting to be known as a freelancer, so definitely crucial for my business. However, I've quickly realised that there are two types of people I'm following: The ones that tell me to always take it easy, to listen to my heart and do things at my own pace, and the ones that tell me over and over that I'm probably wasting my time, that I should be productive every second of the day and that I'm not doing enough to be successful.

We're at a time where people seem to always be reaching for more. Which is great, because like I said before, it also helps us to accomplish things that we never thought we could do. But I'm starting to get tired of all this. I love to have my weekends off, and I always enjoy a break from time to time in the week, going for a walk, cooking something delicious or even just crashing on the couch for an hour or two to watch one of my favourite movies. But sometimes I have this little voice telling me that I'm just a lazy butt and that I'm not using my time wisely. It doesn't help when you scroll through your Instagram feed and see the amazing stuff that people do all the time!

I'm the first one to agree that social media is only an image that we share with the world, a perfect version of ourselves that we carefully curate. I've recently seen more people sharing their real life and struggles though, which I think is so important. I'm always reminding myself that we're all the same and even though it all seems perfect on the outside, we're all struggling with the same issues.

After participating at the Imperfect Boss Campaign, it really opened my eyes on how so many women feel this pressure to be perfect but are quite happy to go against it and decide to be themselves, no matter what. I realised that this is the best way to take it all. Yes, I might feel the pressure from time to time to be ultra productive and yes, it helps me in certain situations, but most of the time, I prefer to put it aside and not let it overwhelm me. At the end of the day, it's our choice to let it take over our life or not. And after a good period of doubt, I'm happy to say that I'm getting better at managing it all and that I'm definitely getting more confident in my day to day life (but the temptation is never that far!).

So what do you guys think? Is it something you struggle with or is it completely going over your head? I'd love to know what you think :)

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