“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.”
Working in events is so rewarding, especially when your focus is on making a genuine difference for others. Purpose-driven work brings a distinct sense of energy. However, even the most fulfilling roles carry real pressure, and it is easy for dedication to slide into exhaustion.
Understanding how pressure affects us is the first step in managing it. In 1908, psychologists Robert Yerkes and John Dodson showed that we actually need a basic level of pressure to function well. Without it, we become demotivated. The right amount of pressure creates a state of optimal focus and performance. The problem arises when the demands placed on us consistently outweigh our time and capacity. That is when healthy pressure turns into distress, overwhelm and burnout.
Workplace stress is increasing across the sector. Recent research points to heavy workloads, lack of management support, constant change and an expectation to work while unwell as major drivers. Worryingly, many employers focus on building employee resilience so staff can tolerate higher stress, rather than fixing the root causes of the workload itself. Coupled with an always-on culture, the pressure on event professionals can quickly become unsustainable.
Too much stress impacts us in three main ways:
Mood: Anxiety, persistent sadness, irritability, brain fog, or losing interest in activities you usually enjoy.
Body: Tension headaches, jaw clenching, sleep disruption, chronic fatigue, stomach issues and a weakened immune system.
Behaviour: Social withdrawal, changes in eating habits, difficulty making simple decisions, or relying on alcohol and tobacco to cope.
A helpful way to think about this is the Stress Bucket model, developed by Brabban and Turkington in 2002. Imagine your capacity as a bucket and stress as water pouring in. To keep it from overflowing, you must do two things: reduce the amount of water coming in from the top, and open taps near the bottom to let pressure out.
Opening taps means actively making time for activities that restore your energy. This includes regular sleep, physical movement, hobbies, and spending time with people who support you. These are not optional luxuries to squeeze in if you have spare time. They are essential maintenance.
At the same time, employers must help control the flow of stress at the top rather than expecting staff to constantly drain an overflowing bucket. Managing stress requires honest conversations, realistic workloads, and clear boundaries. If your workplace refuses to adjust the flow and your efforts to manage pressure are no longer working, it may be time to protect your health and look for a new role.
