Why Your Body Thinks Your Inbox Is a Tiger
Your body can't tell the difference between a predator attack and a stressful email. That's the problem.
Your Brain on Stress
When you perceive a threat—whether it's a literal tiger or your boss's tone in a meeting—your brain's alarm system (the amygdala) sends out an alert. Your body floods with stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. Your heart races. Your breathing quickens. You're ready to fight or flee.
This stress response kept our ancestors alive when facing actual physical danger. It's useful when you need to jump out of the way of a speeding car.
But here's what's breaking us: your body has the same reaction to chronic work stress, a difficult commute, or an argument with your partner.
Your sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) stays in overdrive. You never fully shift into the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest). Your body is constantly preparing for danger that never comes—or never truly ends.
The result? Those stress hormones wreak havoc on your physical health over time.
The good news: You can activate your parasympathetic nervous system through calming practices like deep breathing. It's not just about feeling better in the moment—it's about protecting your long-term health.
Know Your Triggers
To manage stress, you first need to recognize what triggers it. And what stresses you out might not stress someone else. You have to know yourself.
External Stressors: What Happens TO You
These are events outside your control—both positive and negative. Major life changes like marriage, divorce, a new job, losing a job, having a baby. They also include your physical environment, unpredictable events, and social situations.
There are life stress assessments that measure how many major events you've experienced recently and predict your risk of stress-related illness. Worth looking into if you're curious where you stand.
Internal Stressors: What Happens INSIDE You
This is the stress you create with your own thoughts and beliefs. Your fears. Your need for control. Your rigid ideas about how things "should" be.
Here's the truth: much of our stress is self-induced because of our entrenched beliefs. Recognizing how your thoughts contribute to your stress is the first step to changing those patterns.
Example: You're stressed because you have too many clients. But your internal belief that you must be perfect and save everyone? That makes it way worse.
The Workplace Stress Trap
Let's talk about work, because that's where many of us are drowning. These workplace conditions are stress factories:
Workload: Too many clients, always on-call, high-demand situations with no breathing room
Role confusion: Unclear expectations, too much responsibility, wearing too many hats
Lack of control: No say in decisions, poor communication, little flexibility
The grind: Long hours, infrequent breaks, meaningless routine tasks, no chance to use your actual skills
Relationship problems: No support from coworkers or supervisors, toxic environment
Career anxiety: Job insecurity, no path forward, constant unprepared-for changes
Physical conditions: Overcrowding, noise, dangerous or uncomfortable workspace
Sound familiar?
What Now?
Look at that list and identify what applies to your work life. Then ask yourself: What are MY signs of stress when these things happen?
Awareness of your triggers is the first step. You can't address stress you won't acknowledge. You can't change patterns you don't recognize.
Your body is sending you signals. The question is: are you listening?