26 Jan 2013

PR Is Fifth Most Stressful Job: Cut Out the Stress Without Losing the Thrill

Is it a stretch to compare managing a PR crisis to landing a plane in a storm? Not necessarily. According to a new ranking of the most stressful jobs in the country, PR professionals are under almost as much pressure as airplane captains.

CareerCast.com ranked PR as No. 5 on the list after commercial airline pilots, firefighters, military generals and enlisted military personnel.

The 10 Most Stressful Jobs of 2013

“Public relations executives are masters of damage control, thus need to be able to think and act quickly under stress. The profession lives in the public eye,” said the editors at CareerCast.

As PR professionals, many of us are in this line of work because we thrive on the adrenaline of fielding media inquiries, pitching story angles, strategizing the right messages and generally being in the middle of the action.

But the human body isn’t meant to handle stress as a continuous way of life. It can wreak havoc on your health, and it’s the underlying cause of 60 percent of all illness and disease.

How Stress Affects the Body - Huffington Post (infographic)

Four Ways to Reduce PR-Induced Stressed
But just because your body can’t take the heat, it doesn’t mean you have to get out of the kitchen and find another profession. There are steps you can take to manage your stress and, in turn, become even more effective at your job.

  1. Start and end each day with at least five minutes of meditation. A daily practice of quieting your mind will help you stay centered and present throughout the day. It will allow you to more effectively handle anything that may come your way. A few minutes of focused deep breathing is all it takes. But if you’re interested in pursuing a more formal path, the 21-Day Meditation Challenge from Deepak Chopra is a great place to start. 
  2. Don’t let your thoughts run away with you. When your mind is going a mile a minute, it becomes harder to tap into the instinct and intuition that helps you make wise decisions on PR strategy or craft messages that ring true. I love this blog post from Lifehack.org that compares constant random thoughts to a computer with too many files running.  Eventually they’ll cause your brain to freeze up. The blog post also offers tips for “downloading” your thoughts to free up your brain for more important work.
  3. Stretch. With so much time spent hunched over laptops, it’s vital to stretch out your muscles everyday. I am a huge advocate for yoga. It has helped me personally deal with massive tension in my shoulders and other stress-related issues. Try home videos from these yoga greats: Baron BaptisteSean Corne and Tara Stiles.
  4. Stay inspired. Managing stress requires daily commitment and vigilance. There are lots of great spiritual writers who can keep you on track, from Marianne Williamson to Pema Chodron. But since we’re talking about PR, one fitting source of inspiration is publicist turned motivational speaker and writer Gabrielle Bernstein. She’s the queen of inspirational social media, and you can get inspired via her weekly vlog  or Facebook page.

As a former stress case myself, take it from me. PR doesn't have to be stressful to be thrilling. I encourage all of you be aware of the pressure you're under and find a release valve.

But if you've had enough and are ready for a change, check out this other ranking: the 10 LEAST stressful jobs of 2013. (Hint: my husband Alex Tizon's job is No. 1 on the list.)