The pressure to be at the top for young people.

As society develops, it's not uncommon to see young people quickly becoming leaders in their chosen fields. However, behind this coveted top position lie pressures that only those involved truly understand.

Young leaders are gradually becoming pressured by surrounding factors (Image: Internet)

The reality is that young people feel pressured to be in a "leadership" position.

According to statistics from the Ministry of Education and the Business Registration Administration, on average, Vietnam has about 100 students winning first prize in the national excellent student selection exam each year, and over 100,000 new businesses are established with tens of thousands of CEOs and leaders. In addition, we also have leaders of various associations, groups, and clubs. This situation leads to increasing pressure on young people as they have to compete with their peers while also striving for their own achievements.

Accordingly, leadership pressure is a common problem faced by leaders in various fields. This pressure can stem from many factors, such as the need for continuous improvement, conflict resolution, decision-making, and team development. A leader is always in a position of responsibility, whether or not it's directly their fault. At the same time, they often face pressure from superiors to complete tasks and from subordinates to consider the desires and needs of team members.

The pressure on leaders often arises from both external and internal factors. For exceptional individuals, they are always looked up to and admired for their success. However, this very gaze creates expectations that society places on them, generating invisible pressure. Having achieved a high position, leaders must always strive to maintain and further develop their standing. That's also the relentless journey that Le Minh Dang, a student in class 11D3 and president of the academic club at Nguyen Tat Thanh Secondary & High School - Hanoi University of Education, is undertaking: “People always think that the president of the history club must be good at history. That's why I feel very stressed. In any program or competition related to history, I'm always the first on the list to participate. Even within the club, because I'm the president, people probably have a preconceived notion that I'm the most knowledgeable. So sometimes I've disappointed people when I couldn't win first prize in the student excellence competition or something similar.”

Minh Đăng always felt overwhelmed by the expectations placed upon him in his role as President of the Academic Club (Photo: Provided by the subject).

Besides external influences, young people also face pressure from within themselves. When they reach the top, instead of rejoicing, they continue to confront an even greater fear: Can I stand firm and go further? What must I do to be worthy of this position? In the future, will I stagnate and be unable to escape the shadow of my own success? These are also the concerns of Nguyen Bao Van, the top-scoring student in the entrance exam for the Academy of Journalism and Communication.

Is early success a double-edged sword?

In reality, success is not a destination; it's a process. It's a process of receiving good news, recognizing problems, and continuing to develop and improve yourself. We cannot deny that when we are young, achieving great success is a miracle and something to be admired by those around us, especially our peers. However, early success can have two paths: either even greater success, or stagnation and a rapid decline.

For the first case, early success is a stepping stone, creating momentum for future achievements. Bui Quang Dat, a first-year student at the Posts and Telecommunications Institute and Gold Medalist at the 2023 Student Mathematics Olympiad, shared: “I always set goals for myself. The first thing I achieved was joining a club at my school. Joining a club might seem normal to most people, but this step helped me achieve my dream of participating in the Mathematics Olympiad and winning a Gold Medal.”

Quang Dat always sets goals and strives to achieve them because he doesn't want to fall behind (Photo: PTIT Programming Club)

However, if the leader cannot handle that pressure, they are easily discouraged. From there, the downside of "glory" can lead people to "rest on their laurels."

Impact on the psychology of the leader.

Although the saying "pressure creates diamonds" holds true, pressure can sometimes cause young people to experience psychological problems. According to psychologist Nguyen Thanh Tam, leaders are often viewed with admiration and assumed to have nothing to worry about. In reality, besides being accountable to superiors and obligated to subordinates as mentioned above, they bear much more responsibility. Leaders must maintain their professional credibility, uphold their reputation, and secure a prestigious position for themselves and their surrounding environment. Furthermore, each individual faces different challenges and experiences in their own lives.

As a young person with high aspirations and goals, Quang Dat shared: “I realize I have great ambitions, and the pressure is increasing every day. When faced with pressure, I often feel discouraged and want to give up everything. I'm someone who gets stressed out in exams. Every time I encounter a difficult question that I can't solve, my hands start shaking, and when I can't even hold a pen, I become completely flustered and no longer have the clarity to think about how to solve the problem. Pressure also makes me easily irritable with those around me, causing me to lose motivation to continue working. As a result, the quality of my work declines, and my mental and physical health suffer due to the pressure.”

Furthermore, this type of pressure can easily lead to burnout, leaving individuals with no time for self-care, potentially resulting in sleep deprivation or eating problems, and negative moods due to not being in everyone's good graces. And then, you become isolated from society," shared expert Thanh Tam.

Faced with pressure, what should a leader do?

According to the American Psychological Association, more than three-quarters of adults report experiencing symptoms of stress, including headaches, fatigue, or difficulty sleeping. These are all manifestations of pressure. Increasing numbers of young people are seeking medical attention early due to unstable mental health. Faced with these crises, many young people sometimes don't know how to cope and lose sight of promising futures.

Accordingly, psychologist Nguyen Thanh Tam offered some advice for young people who are experiencing stress, especially those in leadership positions: “First, recognize the signs of stress such as muscle stiffness, teeth grinding, stomach pain, and other symptoms. You should take time to care for yourself. Make sure you are always in a clear state of mind to make decisions. If you can't discern what you're doing, right or wrong, or whether it's the right thing to do, take some space, breathe deeply to make a clear decision. Or you can choose to exercise, talk to friends and family, get enough sleep, and maintain a healthy diet to have a healthy mind. If you still can't heal yourself, you should seek medical help for the most scientific solution.”

Psychologist Thanh Tam offers some advice to minimize pressure for leaders (Illustrative image: Internet)

Furthermore, the expert also emphasized the importance of relationships. Everyone needs to maintain this resource because they will be the best supporters, offering advice and pulling us out of that chaotic situation. In particular, leaders are often very ambitious. They never feel satisfied with what they have achieved. Therefore, they often think about not acknowledging their accomplishments, always focusing on the next goal and criticizing themselves for minor mistakes. The expert advises that we should celebrate and acknowledge both small and larger victories. Acknowledging and being grateful for even the smallest successes will make a difference.

Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/nguoi-dung-dau-cung-co-ap-luc-3244114.html