Stress management is the sum of techniques to redirect tension back into a healthy balance. IPMA classifies it as a behavioral competency at all levels. For a project manager, stress management revolves around 3 things:
- Knowing the difference between healthy and harmful voltage
- Seeing the signals in time
- Knowing how to intervene
What is the difference between tension and stress?
Projects and tension go hand in hand. You are dealing with deadlines, conflicting interests, and an uncertain outcome. You are under pressure to perform. For most people, that is exactly what is needed to give it their all. Therefore, tension and pressure are not a bad thing at all.
As long as the load does not exceed your load capacity, voltage works for you. IPMA calls this eustress: creative tension. You feel the drive to go for it; that little bit of tension actually brings you and your team joy! Tension becomes a problem when the balance tips. It lasts too long or suddenly becomes super intense. Then tension turns into stress. And persistent stress is called distressed.
Why is prolonged stress so harmful?
Your body responds to stress with defense mechanisms. That is quite useful for a while; it ensures you deliver. But if that stress persists, it wreaks havoc on your body. You become exhausted, your resistance drops, and as a result, you become susceptible to illness. It seems as if every flu comes to pay you a visit… whaaatschoo! 'A visitor is coming, you wanted to say.
Things aren't much better with your head. You perform tasks less effectively and interactions with colleagues are becoming strained. Precisely at the moment your project needs your sharpness. If you continue like this, burnout is lurking. Research shows that the brains of people who have experienced burnout remain more sensitive to stress afterward. So, it is better to stay ahead of this!
Which stress signals should you look out for?
How stress manifests is different for everyone. But stress always announces itself. Often this is subtle, and sometimes not at all. Within your team, pay particular attention if people are behaving differently than normal. Does someone usually talk your ear off, but not now? But also look out for factors such as fatigue, insomnia, headaches, and muscle pain.
Other warning signs include emotional outbursts, panic, and persistent complaining. And, of course, that well-known shorter fuse and increased mutual irritation. Do you see these kinds of things in yourself or others? Then it is time to talk. So instead of moving on to the next sprint, tackle the stress for the well-being of your people and your project.
Where does stress come from in a work situation?
Stress in projects rarely appears out of the blue. Its source is often organizational. Think of unclear tasks and responsibilities, or poor communication and continuous heavy workloads. But also authoritarian leadership or political games.
So, stress is often about structure. And of course, your personality plays a part too. If you are competitive, impatient, and poor at time management, you are likely to feel stress sooner. But make no mistake, too little challenge is just as dangerous! That is when boredom and apathy set in. Finding the balance between sufficient challenge and sufficient relaxation is the sweet spot for you as a project manager.
What are 3 practical ways to relax?
'Just relax'—well, if there is one thing that is difficult when you are suffering from stress, it is relaxing. Fortunately, there are very practical things that bring relaxation; you cannot force relaxation. It comes to you by approaching things differently.
Below you will find 3 examples:
- The first is physical. Get moving. By moving, for example by taking a walk after lunch, you bring your left and right brain hemispheres into balance. The fact that you feel more balanced after a walk is therefore because that literally That's right! You can give your walk some extra superpower by taking a few conscious breaths. Conscious breathing breaks negative thought cycles.
- The second approach is rational: you reframe your situation. Call it #reframing. You change your perspective on a situation. Resistance from a stakeholder feels like obstruction. View it as engagement, and the conversation suddenly becomes easier. A client who shows little interest causes irritation. Ask yourself what you can do differently. Present decision options. Ask for a choice. That is how you regain control.
- The third is emotional. Make room for fun without a work schedule or as a 'goal' to relax. Pay attention to what you really enjoy. It sounds obvious, but in times of stress, it is quickly scrapped from the agenda under the guise of no time. Do make time to laugh at a good movie. To enjoy listening to relaxing music.
Consciously making time is sometimes quite a challenge. The next section, featuring the Pareto principle and the GTD decision tree, will help you with that!
How do you manage stress with the Pareto principle and the GTD decision tree?
So little time and so much to do… We often hear it from project managers. Two techniques bring calm to the chaos of tasks, texts, emails, reports, meetings, and so on.
The first is the Pareto principle, better known as the 80/20 rule. The Pareto principle states that 80% of your results come from only 20% of your tasks. At work, this means: focus on the 20% with the most impact and minimize or eliminate the rest.
This way, you work smarter instead of harder, experience less stress and overwhelm, and find it easier to say 'no'. In practice, you apply this by first determining what you actually do, then prioritizing and scheduling your most important tasks for your sharpest moments. The rest can often wait or simply be dropped.
The second comes from David Allen's *Getting Things Done*. Project environments are hectic. You are constantly faced with all sorts of things. Allen recommends a fixed decision tree for every 'thing' that comes in.
🔶 Step 1: What is it? Pay conscious attention to the incoming information.
🔶 Step 2: Is this an action for me? If the answer is no, delete it or archive it in an easily findable folder or to-do list.
🔶 Step 3: If the answer is yes, determine your next action. Do it immediately if it can be finished quickly. Delegate it if someone else can. Or consciously schedule it in your calendar.
This way, the worrying about 'whether or not to take action' disappears from your mind. The decision tree creates order in your day. And order is peace.
How do you intervene when your team overheats?
When stress rises in your team, there is no 'one size fits all'. How you respond is always a tailored approach, exactly what is needed in your team. You don't learn that skill easily from a book.
Lagant Academy trains (prospective) project managers for IPMA certification. In our training courses, you practice stress management in real-life situations. You learn not only what stress does; you learn what *you* do when it matters most.
Are you ready to take the next step in your development as a project professional? Start, for example, with our IPMA D-training.
Last updated: July 2026 · By Lagant Academy · Source: IPMA Competence Baseline (ICB4), competency G1.3
