Advocacy Matters - Spring 2024

urning the candle at both ends to meet your
billable target while soliciting new business.
In their book Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking
the Stress Cycle, sisters Emily and Amelia Nagoski
describe burnout as getting stuck in the tunnel
and remaining in a state of chronically elevated
stress for much longer than we are designed to.
This results in wear and tear on our physical,
mental and heart health.
In the same way a stick of dynamite can either
blow up your hand or be used to clear the
path in front of you, stress—which we won’t
ever eliminate completely—can be harnessed
for good. Stress has the power to motivate, activate
and lead to self-improvement.
However, being perpetually stressed is not
sustainable to our overall health and wellness.
Therefore, it is critical to deal with stress in a
way that signals safety to all of our internal operating
systems (digestive, reproductive, immune,
cardiovascular, and musculoskeletal).
Daily physical activity is the most effective strategy
for helping complete the stress cycle from
beginning to end, even something as simple as
jumping or short bursts of moving around. According
to relationship expert John Gottman,
physical affection with a loved one, such as a
“six-second kiss” or a twenty-second hug, have
been found to change hormones, lower blood
pressure and heart rate, and improve mood.
Having a good laugh or cry can also help to regulate
our emotions.
The reassuring news is that you don’t have to
remove all the stressors to feel better. Stress is
not the enemy. Being stuck is. In the words of
Nagoski, “to be well is not to live in a state of perpetual
safety and calm, but to move fluidly from
a state of adversity, risk, adventure, or excitement,
back to safety and calm, and out again”.
If you are interested in learning more about the
stress cycle, I highly recommend reading, Burnout:
The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle.
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