Working Together Under Pressure

Sometimes, pressure in a team doesn’t announce itself loudly. It shows up quietly.

A colleague who becomes more withdrawn. Someone who reacts a bit sharper than usual. Small shifts that slowly start to affect the whole team. Work gets redistributed, tension builds, and without anyone intending it, distance creeps in.

What makes this difficult is that most people genuinely want to be supportive—but don’t quite know how. So nothing is said. And in that silence, misunderstanding can grow. The person who is struggling may feel alone, while the team hesitates, unsure of what is helpful.

Yet often, it doesn’t take much to change that dynamic.

Take the example of Fatima, a teacher dealing with anxiety. The constant stimuli of a busy school environment overwhelm her, and she begins responding impatiently to colleagues. It creates friction, and people start keeping their distance.

It isn’t until her supervisor opens the conversation that things begin to shift. Fatima shares how exhausted she feels. Together, they explore small, practical adjustments—like taking short breaks between classes. Nothing dramatic, but enough to create breathing space.

Slowly, the atmosphere changes. Not just for her, but for the entire team.

Moments like these remind me how important psychological safety is. When people feel safe enough to be honest about how they’re really doing, something opens up. Conversations become easier. Support becomes more natural. And teams become stronger—not despite challenges, but because they face them together.

Sometimes it starts with something very small. A simple check-in at the beginning of a meeting. One sentence. One word even. Just enough to acknowledge: this is how I’m doing today.

Because mental health challenges are a bit like wearing foggy glasses. They change how someone sees the world—but not who they are.

In Doing What Matters – Resilient Working with ACT, I explore these kinds of moments more deeply and share practical tools to help you keep moving toward what matters—even when things feel difficult. The book is available through (online) bookstores and via Brave New Books.

If this resonates, feel free to share it with your network.
The more we talk about this, the easier it becomes to support one another.

#MentalHealthAtWork #PsychologicalSafety #Leadership #Teamwork #Wellbeing #ACT #Resilience #WorkplaceCulture