Have you found yourself feeling a bit... 🤔 flat, stressed, challenged, or possibly even burnt out? 🔥
If so, you’re not alone. We all experience stress from time to time, and temporary stress typically subsides once a perceived threat is gone. But what many of us are dealing with today is different—the threat isn’t passing. It’s constant, and it’s draining us.
I’ve been there. In my corporate life, I felt like I was walking an emotional tightrope, teetering between what felt like resilience and collapse. Like many people, I convinced myself that my high-functioning anxiety was actually a strength. I believed it was helping me get through each year, meet every deadline, and handle all the rising demands in my role. As my portfolio grew, so did the budgets, the expectations, and the pressure. But the worst part wasn’t the mounting stress—it was the fact that I saw it as a good thing.
I wore my high-functioning anxiety like a badge of honour. I told myself that the more I pushed through, the stronger I was becoming. I thought I was increasing my capacity for stress, but in reality, I was pushing myself past the breaking point. I was always in overdrive, never fully recharging, and running on fumes. If this sounds familiar to you, you’re not alone.
The Circuit Breaker
It wasn’t until I took a short stint of maternity leave that I realised how deeply I was entrenched in this cycle of stress and burnout. Maternity leave gave me a brief escape, a pause that allowed me to reflect and recalibrate. When I returned to work, I was determined to be more mindful, to approach my role with more clarity, energy, and purpose. I was optimistic that this break had reset my mindset, and I felt stronger than ever.
But old habits die hard. It didn’t take long before I slipped back into my usual patterns. Like slipping into a comfy pair of worn-out sneakers, I found myself falling into the same trap—pushing myself without ever stopping to fully recharge. The familiar sense of depletion crept back in, and I was once again running on empty, caught in a loop that felt impossible to break.
Searching for a Better Way
I knew deep down that there had to be a better way to function at a high level without burning myself out completely. The idea that you have to sacrifice your well-being to succeed is pervasive, but it’s a myth. I was determined to find a way to be successful at work without feeling completely drained at the end of each day.
That’s when I discovered HeartMath through my work at PeopleQ. HeartMath is a science-based approach that focuses on heart rhythm coherence techniques, helping people manage stress, regulate emotions, and create a state of balance in their lives. This method is grounded in research, and it offers practical, evidence-based tools that align the heart, brain, and nervous system.
The Game Changer:
HeartMath has been a game changer for me personally. Instead of relying on anxiety as a driving force, I’ve learned how to create coherence between my emotions and physiology. It’s not about ignoring stress or pretending it doesn’t exist—it’s about learning how to regulate your response to stress in a healthy, sustainable way.
The techniques I’ve learned have empowered me to manage stress in the moment, allowing me to stay calm and focused even in high-pressure situations. I’ve discovered how to recharge my energy instead of constantly depleting it, and I no longer feel like I’m simply surviving each day.
It’s been an eye-opening journey to realise that stress doesn’t have to control me. In fact, I can perform at my best without it. Through HeartMath, I’ve learned how to listen to my body and mind, recognize when I’m approaching burnout, and take action before reaching that point.
Thriving, Not Just Surviving
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, always on the edge of burnout, I want you to know that there is a better way. High-functioning anxiety might feel like it’s helping you stay on top of things, but it’s actually holding you back. The more you push without rest, the more you’re chipping away at your well-being.
HeartMath has given me the tools to break free from that cycle, and it’s possible for you too. It’s about learning to thrive—not just survive. You can still perform at the top level, but with the added benefit of feeling more balanced, more energised, and more in control of your life.
Stress doesn’t have to be your default setting. It’s time to take off that badge of honour and start a new chapter, one where you embrace balance, resilience, and true well-being.
Interested in learning more?
If this resonates with you, I encourage you to explore our HeartMath Resilience Advantage Program. Whether you're in the corporate world or managing the demands of daily life, these tools can help you align your heart, brain, and nervous system in a way that promotes long-lasting resilience.
There's a better way forward, and it starts with letting go of the old narrative that stress equals success.
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