Are You Drowning in Event Stress? Take Our Stress Management Quiz!
Without stress, human beings wouldn’t have evolved. Stress notifies us of potential dangers, enabling us to act swiftly. While we may not have to watch out for any roaming Wildebeest, we face stressful situations on a daily basis. If you’re an event planner, ‘stressed’ is likely to be your resting state. As beneficial as event stress can be, it can also be incredibly detrimental to your health, and career. That said, one person’s stressful day may be a walk in the park for another. Answer the following questions and see how you fare on the stress management scale.
1. It’s 6am on a Monday morning, and your to-do list rivals the length of War and Peace. You’re most likely to be found:
a) In bed. You’ve been awake since 3am after two hours of restless sleep, and are unable to get into the shower from sheer panic at the day that awaits. You have a Xanax and wait for it to kick in.
b) You put your alarm on snooze for another 45 minutes, and then leisurely make your way to the kitchen, where you spend another 45 minutes sipping your coffee until you realise you’re due in a meeting in 20 minutes.
c) You wake up as your alarm goes off, ready to tackle the day with a detailed action plan.
2. You have a presentation with a client, and if all goes well, you’ll land a lucrative contract for the next year. Do you:
a) Put a slideshow together 30 minutes before you’re due to face the client, based on some quick Googling you got your PA to do. Drive to the meeting in a panic, only to be informed that the meeting was in fact, yesterday.
b) Drive to the meeting in your gym clothes, armed with only a generic presentation on your laptop. You’re confident your charm is more than sufficient to seal the deal.
c) Dedicate time in the month running up to the meeting, where you attempt to find out as much as you can about the client. You painstakingly compile a presentation based on factual data about their brand and past events.
3. When it comes to spending time with your nearest and dearest, your approach to socialising is:
a) A quick scroll through your Facebook feed while you wolf down a Woolies ready-meal in front of a PVR marathon of The Great South African Bake Off. Who has time for a social life?
b) You regularly take long, leisurely lunches with friends, and often duck out of events to attend dinner parties, living by the mantra ‘all work and no play makes Jackie a dull woman’. (Partying is a form of stress management after all.)
c) You schedule dates according to your calendar; your friends understand that your career demands long hours, but know that when you have time, you’re always up for a Sunday stroll or phone call.
4. You’ve just been for your annual health check-up, and the verdict is:
a) Your stress levels are so high that even though you’re 43, you’re exhibiting symptoms typical of a 65 year old. Your doctor instructs you to cut out caffeine, take up Yoga and get a full 8 hours of sleep. As you walk out of the appointment, you down a Red Bull and toss the script in a bin. You have work to do!
b) Indulgent lunches and a fondness for post-event celebratory wine have increased your cholesterol levels. Your doctor advises that you cut out saturated fats and alcohol. You respond by thinking ‘life without butter isn’t a life worth living’ and justify tucking into a cheese board by reminding yourself that Tim Noakes would approve.
c) Good! Your approach to stress management is holistic; you try to get as much sleep as you can, religiously sip on water throughout the day, and get a quick walk in before work.
Your approach to stress management is as follows:
Mostly as:
Non-existent. Stress management is the last thing on your never-ending to-do list. Your high-stress life isn’t just detrimental to your health, but to your career too. A little bit of planning goes a long way, as does some much needed screen-free time. Aim to schedule some ‘me time’ once a week – your body, mind and clients will thank you.
Mostly bs:
Misinformed. While letting your hair down is an effective form of stress management, your career and personal life seem to be out of sync. By focusing more o\n your professional life, your down time will be that much sweeter. What’s more, your working life is bound to thrive too.
Mostly cs:
Just right. You’ve found the balance between work and play, and are reaping the benefits.
Learn more about time management, as well as how an automated RSVP system can help you do more in a fraction of the time.
