What's Stressing You Out?

And what to do about it.

I recently asked, What’s stressing you out right now?

The responses flooded in, and while everyone’s situation is different, some common themes emerged:

• World events feel overwhelming, making it hard to focus.

• Deadlines and workloads are relentless, leading to exhaustion.

• Team burnout is spreading, and you want to help others manage stress too.

• The little things stack up, making it hard to enjoy life.

• Doom-scrolling hijacks our attention, even when we’re attempting to find relief in cat videos or comedy clips.

Add it all up and the thought of balancing work, family, and personal health feels impossible.

If any of this resonates, you’re not alone. Stress is universal—but so is the ability to manage it.

That’s why I created the Beat Back Burnout Challenge, a 5-day sprint to take back control of stress and stop burnout before it starts. It wrapped up today, and here’s a recap of what we covered:

Day 1: Identify Your Stress Triggers

We started by pinpointing stress triggers—the specific moments that cause stress, not just broad categories. You can’t fix what you haven’t defined and awareness is the first step to control.

💡 Example: One middle manager shared "my boss always stresses me out." We went a step further and identified when they actually triggered stress, specifically after 1on1 meetings and whenever they sent an email after work hours.

🎯 Action: Create a list of our top 5 stress triggers.

Day 2: Reject Unnecessary Stress

Next, we recognized that not all stress is necessary. Many stressors exist simply because we haven’t stopped to ask: Does this really need to be on my plate?

💡 Example: An HR specialist realized they spent two hours per week on a report no one read—so they stopped. Instant relief (and no one has complained yet).

🎯 Action: For each stressor, ask:

• Can I stop it? (Is it necessary?)

• Can I delegate it? (Does it need to be me?)

• Can I schedule it? (Do I need to worry about it right now?)

Day 3: Reframe Stress So It Feels Lighter

From there, we talked about how stress is shaped by how we see it. If something can’t be removed, we can change how we experience it.

💡 Example: One IT analyst hated responding to emails—until they set a timer and turned it into a game: “How many emails can I clear in 10 minutes?” Suddenly, it was a challenge, not a chore.

🎯 Action: Take a stressor and use one of these techniques:

• Gamify it. Turn a boring task into a challenge.

• Pair it with something enjoyable. (Music, coffee, etc.)

• Change the language. Instead of “I have to,” try “I get to.”

Day 4: Release Stress Before It Builds Up

Next, we recognized the need to relieve stress that gets built up. Waiting until you’re overwhelmed to relax is like waiting until you’re dehydrated to drink water. Neither are recommended and both cause headaches.

💡 Example: A corporate attorney in the challenge was always stressed—until she scheduled 5-minute resets every two hours. Just stretching, walking, or laughing made her more feel a bit more relaxed.

🎯 Action: Don’t wait for burnout—build relief into your day:

• Move. Stand, stretch, walk.

• Laugh. Watch something funny, text a friend.

• Pause. Take a real break, even if it’s just 2 minutes.

Day 5: Make Resilience a Habit

Finally, we admitted that a one-time stress fix won’t work—but a daily system will. So we gave some tips on how to make resilience a habit.

💡 Example: A startup CEO built a three-step habit to stay ahead of stress, following our guidelines below. While it didn’t reduce the amount of stress he encountered each day, he did say he felt like he had more control over it.

🎯 Action: Create three small checkpoints (< 2 minutes each) throughout your day:

• Morning Check-In: What’s likely to stress me today? How will I handle it?

• Midday Reset: A quick stress relief break.

• Evening Reflection: What worked today? What needs adjusting?

Need Some Stress Relief?

If you missed the challenge, now’s your chance to catch up! Use this newsletter as your guide and try these techniques one day at a time.

💬 Which of these stress strategies resonated most with you? Drop a comment or reply—I’d love to hear what you’re applying!

If you still need help managing your stress, click below for a free private session where I'll show you exactly how to implement this in your life - without stepping back, slowing down, or sacrificing an ounce of your success.

» Book a Clarity Call «

Here’s to less stress and more joy,

(an)drew

Silly Joke at the End: I have this weird habit of quoting Elton John lyrics… I hope you don't mind.