From script to reality: managing stress in the events industry

The question is not: how can I prevent stress? 
But: how can I make myself resilient in the face of stressful situations?

Natasja Verhoogt graduated in 2010 from the Leisure Management programme at BUas. After that, she threw herself wholeheartedly into event-related roles – from wedding planner to conference organiser.

That changed when her mother was diagnosed with early-onset dementia. Natasja began immersing herself in the fascinating world of the brain. Initially to better understand her mother's illness, but later also to understand how she herself could cope with stress more effectively.

Natasja went on to complete several training courses in mental health and coaching. She now focuses full-time on coaching and community building, and is passionate about sharing practical tips for building mental resilience in the workplace.

The reality: the plan is never the reality 
During your studies at BUas, you learned to plan, be flexible, structure and think ahead. But in practice, you discover that the real work begins when the plan has to be abandoned.

It means your brain is constantly switched on; scanning for potential problems, making quick decisions, coming up with solutions under time pressure. The tension gives you energy. But there also needs to be time to unwind and decompress.

If you don't take regular breaks, it can lead to: fatigue, disrupted sleep, a shorter fuse, difficulty concentrating and/or the feeling that you're on a high-speed train that won't stop.

The solution isn’t to avoid stress altogether. That’s simply not realistic, nor is it necessary. The trick is to build up your resilience. What do you need to recover from stressful moments? Which tools work for you and can you use them on a daily basis?

It’s not about taking more holidays, but about creating more moments of mental calm in everyday life. 
 

Practical tips

• Start the day with a morning routine. Leave your phone alone for a while; you can deal with that later. Set aside the first 10 to 30 minutes of the day entirely for yourself. Read a book, do some yoga or exercise, meditate, or enjoy your first cup of coffee with a magazine. Choose something that suits you.
• Start the day with an intention. This does not mean reaching for your to-do list straight away. An intention is more about how you feel than ticking off tasks. How do I feel right now and how do I want to feel today? An intention for the day could be: I won’t let myself be overwhelmed by unforeseen events during this event,
• Do a body scan regularly: start at your head and then work your way down through all your body parts. What do I feel? A headache, tense shoulders… can I do something about this right away? Yes, namely:
• Stretching exercises. To both reduce tension in your body and give your self-confidence a boost (zie Power Pose in de TED talk vanaf 3min50).
• Breathing exercises. During stressful moments, we often find ourselves breathing shallowly. If you’re aware of this, you can find exercises to help you breathe calmly again. Such as box breathing, explained here by HeadSpace.
• Step outside for a moment. Yes, even just before a deadline or during an event. Take 5 to 10 minutes to recharge. To broaden your perspective again (a narrowed focus is common just before a deadline or in the middle of an event). And to create a mindful moment for yourself: enjoy the warmth of the sun, listen to the birds or have a chat.
• End the day with an evening routine. Stop using screens in good time and create a moment just for yourself at the end of the day. Shut out the outside world and choose something that helps you relax.

And these are just a few tips. There are tools out there to help everyone boost their mental resilience. Keep it simple: ‘How can I relax for 10 minutes today?’ is easier to achieve than ‘How can I create more balance?’.