Dear Lisa,
Thanks for your letter. I (1) just left / had just left for school when I saw the postman and
he (2) gave / had given it to me. It was really funny! I (3) read / had read it during maths
and it (4) made / had made me laugh. I almost (5) got / had got in trouble!
Anyway, I'm excited because I (6) had / had had my first judo lesson yesterday. I (7) was
/ had been late for the lesson because when I (8) got / had got there, I suddenly realised
I (9) left / had left my judo suit at home! So I (10) went / had gone all the way home
and when I (11) got / had got back, the lesson (12) already began / had already begun.
The instructor was really nice, though, and I (13) learned / had learned how to do some basic
throws. Can't wait till next time !
What about you and your taekwondo? The last time I (14) spoke / had spoken to you, you
(15) talked / had talked about giving it up. What (16) did you decide I had you decided?
I think that's all for now. My mum and I are going shopping shortly, so I'd better post this.
Speak to you soon.
Love,
Charlotte
Dear Lisa,
Thanks for your letter. I had just left for school when I saw the postman and he gave it to me.
It was really funny! I had read it during Maths and it made me laugh. I almost got in trouble! Anyway, I'm excited because I had my first judo lesson yesterday. I was late for the lesson because when I got there, I suddenly realised I had left my judo suit at home! So I went all the way home and when I got back, the lesson had already begun. The instructor was really nice, though, and I learned how to do some basic throws. Can't wait till next time!
What about you and your taekwondo? The last time I spoke to you, you talked about giving it up. What had you decided?
I think that's all for now. My mum and I are going shopping shortly, so I'd better post this.
Speak to you soon.
Love,
Charlotte
Stress is not necessarily bad in and of itself. While stress is typically discussed in a negative context, it also has positive value. It is an opportunity when it offers potential gain. Consider, for example, the superior performance that an athlete or stage performer gives in "clutch" situations. Such individuals often use stress positively to rise to the occasion and perform at or near their maximum.
More typically, stress is associated with constraints and demands. The former prevent you from doing what you desire. The latter refers to the loss of something desired. So when you take a test at school or you undergo your annual performance review at work, you feel stress because you confront opportunities, constraints, and demands. A good performance review may lead to a promotion, greater responsibilities, and a higher salary. But a poor review may prevent you from getting the promotion. An extremely poor review might even result in your being fired.
Two conditions are necessary for potential stress to become actual stress. There must be uncertainty over the outcome and the outcome must be important. Regardless of the conditions, it is only when there is doubt or uncertainty regarding whether the opportunity will be seized, the constraint - removed, or the loss avoided that there is stress. That is, stress is highest for those individuals who perceive that they are uncertain as to whether they will win or lose and lowest for those individuals who think that winning or losing is a certainty. But importance is also critical. If winning or losing is an unimportant outcome, there is no stress. If keeping your job or earning a promotion doesn't hold any importance to you, you have no reason to feel stress over having to undergo a performance review.