The fact of the matter is that stress is good for us. As previously mentioned, stressful situations promote a flight or fight response. This is a trait that has kept people alive and out of danger for millennia. However, in the modern world, we often expose ourselves to stresses every day and allow them to build up in a way that, for example, cavemen never would. Cave dwellers might have been stressed by encountering a sabre-toothed tiger, for example, but they wouldn't have set their alarm for a long shift in the office every day. That said, being pressured at work can get the best out of our performance. So there is a balance to strike between just the right level of pressure and not taking on too many stressful tasks. To be clear, stress is too high when it impacts negatively on our ability to perform by altering our psychological outlook, the first signs of which are usually physical.