ABSTRACT
Stress levels can be high merely due to the fact that we perceive what we do as stressful. On some days even moderate workloads may bother us, while on others every minor disruption seems annoying. A certain amount of stress is probably both important and necessary to keep us going. It is well known that the popularity of adventure holidays and many extreme sports is at least partly due to the ‘kick’ they provide by putting people under some kind of stress. In a similar way, a busy and ‘buzzing’ day in general practice can be very invigorating and produce an exciting sense of alertness. However, the balance can easily tip, with too much stress causing distress and leading to a feeling of loss of control. Work then
becomes a struggle, and you may find that you suddenly become less productive than you would like to be.
