You can’t complete the task at hand without some important information, except the person with the information is busy. They have meetings majority of the day and you don’t know when you’ll be able to ask them.

You wrongly prioritized one task above the other. What you thought would be an easy task is taking up more and more of your time where you’re not sure you’ll get to the other things on your to-do list.

You completed your portion of the project, but your colleague hasn’t, and the deadline is quickly approaching. Or, what if you completed your portion but then you find out that the deadline got extended and you worked late hours to get it done, when you didn’t have to.

The emotions one might experience in either of these situations is stress. Maybe you felt it when you read the scenarios.

Stress is something that affects everyone, but in different ways.

We are often told that stress is unhealthy and that is can take a toll on you, which is true, but not all stress is bad.

A little stress gives you the motivation to take risks, meet the challenges of the day, and reach goals. All the while improving your ability to perform under pressure, enhance your focus and increase brainpower.

Stress makes life exciting.

Now, too much of something is not usually good. Too much stress and that positive motivation turns into negative reactions – distracted, fatigue, illness, affected relationships and decrease in productivity.

The key to turning stress into success is to know what’s good for you. When the signs of stress arise, tend to them. Identify the stress. Recognize your limits. Determine what you can control. Change your perception. Foster new habits that counteract the stress. Take it one step at a time.

Stress isn’t something that‘s avoidable, but it can be managed.