All of us at times experience major challenges at work. These challenges may not even be work related. They may be general life challenges which spill over into our work lives and affect our ability to perform. They may be related to mental illness, job-fit or a difficult superior. There are so many different variables from so many different origins that we couldn't list them all satisfactorily in this short paragraph.

What is universal about these challenges is that at times they exceed our ability to cope. We often use the term "stress" to describe this state. Stress is the word we use most often when our personal resources are placed under strain. The most accurate way of describing the state of 'stress' is when external demands placed on us strain or exceed our internal resources creating a situation in which some needs cannot be met.

Stress however, is not always a bad thing. Many of us claim to function better under pressure. Most of us would become highly dissatisfied if we experienced no challenge in our lives. Stressful situations may allow people to discover previously hidden abilities or create opportunites for themselves due to adversity.

I hope over some of the next few entries to discuss this idea further, answer some of the following questions and maybe ask some new ones:

When is stress considered bad (or good) ?
What are the primary causes of work-place stress?
What strategies can we use to cope better during challenging times?

In the meantime, I wish you success at work.