Feeling Pressured?
Slow down and breathe
Not surprisingly, the weekly prompts given by the editor of A Taste For Life sparked my interest. I’m particularly drawn to the writing prompt pressure. As is often the case, an English word has several meanings and can be a noun or a verb.
The literal scientific meaning of pressure is applying force to an object. To modify or change an object by leaning on it.
In modern society, pressure is often used in the psychological sense of mental pressure. An individual has many areas that need attending to like work, parenting, maintaining the home, keeping up with friends, and so on.
It’s easy to see how a working mom is under pressure to perform on the job while meeting the needs of her children. Picture a single mom asking her boss’s permission to leave work early to take her daughter to the doctor, or to watch her play soccer. Not easy. One would say she is under a lot of pressure.
There are so many variables in a person’s life that can cause pressure from pleasing one’s in-laws, to paying one’s bills and taking time to exercise and prepare healthy meals. Even a vacation can create pressure if it doesn’t live up to one’s expectations like being on a cruise and not enjoying it.
