..Pressure !! ………Ever thought how significant this strange phenomenon is in our daily lives ??
How many aspects of pressure influence the way we live?
Do you know we are constantly exposed to pressure, both internal and external !
The pressure we experience living our lives, wherever we might live in the world. ……..
As children growing up our parents put pressure on us to do things, to eat properly, to walk and to talk.
Then we go to school and have to face teacher pressure, peer pressure and pressure to compete with grades and in the sport we play.
As adults we go to work and see it in relationships with our peers and the boss.
The pressure of business, the anticipation of being paid for a service rendered and the cheque not arriving on the due date, but what a relief when it does.
Yes !!! life is like living in a big pressure chamber, except this kind of pressure is all !!!!…….. in our heads !!!!
But rest assured…the psychological pressure of daily living was the same in the past, as it is now in the present and will forever be in the future.
The other kind of pressure though !!!!! perhaps a more friendly type, but equally significant in our daily lives………. Physical pressure !
In fact we live under pressure. – atmospheric pressure!!! and here at sea level it’s about 14.7 pounds per square inch absolute or 1 atmosphere, amongst several terms we use in reference to atmospheric pressure.
Up in the high country it is somewhat lower, in fact as elevation increases, atmospheric pressure decreases and an airliner at 25,000 ft flies in very thin air where atmospheric pressure is only about 4.5pounds per square inch absolute.
In another physical sense, pressure is the effect of an force applied to a surface, or.. in mathematical terms – load divided by surface area.
A certain force on a large surface might constitute a low pressure but the same force on a small surface will result in a very high pressure.
Like shoes with stiletto heels supporting even the most petite light footed little lady can be the cause of a significant imprint on a linoleum floor and if the little lady decides to rest her one leg and put all her weight on the heel of one shoe, the imprint might be twice as deep. So be aware you large and little ladies …..of floors and high heeled shoes.
In applying the brakes in our cars we push down on the brake pedal and cause a fluid pressure to transmit through the brake lines that connect to each wheel. The fluid pressure acts against a round piston of a certain surface area causing a force to press against the rotating wheels to slow the car down. The harder we push on the pedal the higher the braking force and the quicker the car stops.
A knife cutting a fruit or a vegetable……. Ever thought why it cuts so easily on the sharp side and not on the bluntside…….Its because…. for the same downward force you apply to the knife, the cutting pressure on the blunt side is relatively low because the force is distributed over a large area, while on the sharp side, the pressure is much higher, the force being distributed over a much smaller area. The sharper the knife edge the smaller the cutting area, the higher the cutting pressure and so the easier it is to cut.
The strength of most material is classified by pressure. How much load will a material support in tension before breaking like a piece of wire. Its tensile strength is rated in Kilopascals or Pounds per square inch of pressure.
Imagine the single fibre of a spiders web having a tensile strength comparable to that of high grade steel. But the cross sectional area of each fibre is so minute that it is very easy for us humans to pull apart……..but if we ever get invaded by giant alien spiders who cast webs around our cities, chances are the diameter of the single fibres of their webs will be much larger and impossible to pull apart but not beyond slicing with a knife.
So…… make sure you keep your knives very sharp just on the off chance of an invasion by giant alien spiders.
Each of us are aware of our own blood pressure. 130/85 is the high norm and that is actually a physical pressure but be aware that this might change if you’re exposed to high levels of psychological pressure, which goes to prove that there is a connection between the two !!!!
Ending
There are many aspects of pressure that influence the way we live that we never think of because we tend to get wrapped up in the pressure of life and how to deal with it.
Some of us are constantly under extreme pressure driving ourselves to succeed for one reason or another.
Some of us can take extreme pressure in our stride, but most of us don’t.
As a closing thought on this very diverse and interesting subject. When you think you’re under pressure, no matter to what degree,…. at work or at play, pause for a moment, take a deep breath, consider the circumstance then…..keep a cool head to find a rational solution. Chances are, the pressure stress you feel will diminish significantly.
MAD