[Broadcast 16/07/17]
During my A Level exams, I managed to make a rather rookie error. The pressure I was under had clearly become too much, and for the duration of my History paper, I was unfortunately unable to decipher between the two revolutions that took place in Russia in 1917. Though I skipped out of the exam feeling as though I’d put together a strong essay, my smile quickly turned somewhat upside down upon hearing class mates mention the month of February a few too many times. My essay, shall we say, had been more October focused. Yes, I’d managed to write about the wrong Russian revolution. Oops.
Fast-forward to the retakes the following January, I found myself re-sitting that offending paper – this time ensuring I didn’t muddle the months – and securing the grade I needed for the next step along life’s path. A momentary blip that provided a useful learning opportunity for me: slow-down, focus, and pay attention to detail. These are phrases that students coming out of external exams will no doubt have recently reiterated.
How our brains respond whilst under pressure is a fascinating subject. One that we’re still learning more about even today. Stress was once of course an extraordinary survival mechanism, enabling us and other mammals to react quickly to life-threatening situations. The instantaneous hormonal changes and physiological responses helped us to choose between taking flight or staying put for the fight. And though our triggers may not be quite so life concerning today (no matter how tight the deadline or stationary the Friday traffic) stress is still that useful tool for us, if we learn how to harness it correctly. A recent study tracking 30, 000 adults over eight-years has confirmed that if you simply view stress differently, - in a nutshell, more positively – you can alter the effect it has on you.
In one of St Paul’s letters to the early Christians he says; “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.” It seems to me Paul's pointing out that what I fill my mind with, profoundly affects me. Choosing to think about the right things is a spiritual endeavour.
I must choose then, actively, not to stress. Though, conversely, a little bit of the S word may in fact be beneficial - as, in the words of the late George S Patton: "Pressure makes diamonds."