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56www.i-am-magazine.comBy Emma PeetersAre YouUnderPressure?We've all been there. The deadline islooming, and we've barely begun to work.We all recognize that feeling in the pit ofour stomach as we settle down to work.But does pressure have to lead to stress?And what does stress do to ourmotivation and focus?Why Stress Sick?We know for a fact that stress frompsychological pressure affects our bodies.It leads to higher blood pressure, anxiety,and a host of other symptoms. It alsomakes it really, really hard to concentrateon the task at hand. If you're feelingpressure at work, and it's leading to stressthen you probably aren't at your mosteffective. You might be missing deadlinesor making mistakes, or even worriedyourself sick and had to take a personalday. All of these things can be caused bystress from psychological pressure.Start Mounting MotivationBut with good coping skills, pressuredoesn't always have to lead to stress. Itcan positively affect motivation, too.When you're feeling stressed, you shouldtry to practice positive thinking, selfdistraction, or one of many othertechniques that can beat stress and helpyour focus.