Managing Stress Authentically

Been through product launches, 100-hour weeks, impossible deadlines. Here's how I manage stress—no fluff, just real tactics 👇 1. Intentional Pauses Even when swamped, I schedule 5-minute breaks between tasks. Sounds counterintuitive, but it's a game-changer. Microsoft research backs this up: short breaks reduce cumulative stress. I step away from screens, breathe, or stretch. These "unproductive" moments boost clarity. 2. Tech Boundaries No badge of honor for always being "on." I use Do Not Disturb, block notifications, and set clear availability windows both during and after hours. The Digital Wellness Institute confirms: boundaries reduce burnout and boost productivity. Tip: Designate "deep work" hours. Share this with your team to align expectations. 3. One Non-Negotiable Routine When busy, don't drop all self-care. Double down on one thing. For me, it's a midday walk without my phone. Find your one habit and protect it fiercely. Real-world example: During a major client workshop with tight deadlines, I used these tactics. Result? More clarity, energy, and presence for both team and clients. Remember: Small acts compound over time. Prioritize what truly matters. Your well-being isn't indulgent—it's essential for peak performance.

Be nice to yourself. Your internal dialogue speaks before you do, shaping confidence, performance, and resilience. Ignore it and it will amplify stress. Train it and it becomes your personal coach. Why it matters: - Distanced self-talk (using your own name or “you”) quiets the emotional centers of the brain and boosts self-control. - Self-affirmations light up the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, making your brain more receptive to change and healthier. - Self-compassion correlates with lower anxiety, greater resilience, and steadier motivation than high self-esteem alone. - A recent meta-analysis shows performance gains across 30+ sports studies when athletes practiced structured self-talk. Make your self-talk kinder (and more useful) 1. Name-swap: When stress spikes, switch “I can’t handle this deadline” to “Shira, you’ve met tighter ones.” Third-person language creates distance and calms reactivity. 2. Values check: Write a 2-minute note on a core value before hard tasks. This simple affirmation primes the brain for openness and action. 3. Self-compassion break: Pause, note the struggle, remind yourself that imperfection is human, then ask “What would I say to a friend?” Answer it—out loud if possible. 3. Replace should with could: “I should post on LinkedIn daily” carries judgment. “I could post” invites choice and curiosity, easing resistance. 4. Cue cards: Draft two or three empowering phrases and place them where you work. Repetition wires the language in before pressure hits. Speak to yourself as you would to a promising colleague. Your inner voice will start working for you, not against you.

I worked 20-hour shifts during my residency. Forget time for family and friends, I often didn’t even have time to shower or eat. So when most of my patients talk about stress taking a toll on their health, I understand. But what we often ignore is that stress acts as your body's alert system for perceived threats. It leads you straight into survival mode - causing lack of sleep, anxiety, and countless health problems. So here are 4 simple solutions to reclaim control: ▶︎ 1. The physiological sigh: This is one of the fastest ways to calm down. - 1 deep inhale through the nose - 1 short inhale to top up - 1 long exhale to empty lungs Just 2-3 cycles of this technique will release the maximum amount of CO2, slow your heart rate and relax you. ▶︎ 2. Mel Robin’s 5-second rule: To break the cycle of anxiety and change your stress habits, simply count down from 5. 5-4-3-2-1. This exercise will: - Activate your prefrontal cortex - Interrupt your habitual thought loops - Shift your brain from fight-or-flight to action mode ▶︎ 3. The filters test: If you want to reduce stress, you need to curate your thoughts. Whenever you have a negative thought, answer these 3 questions: - Is it true? - Is it kind? - Is it helpful? If any of the answer is no, discard the chain of thought immediately. ▶︎ 4. Conquer your fear of judgment: Caring what people think is costing you your health. Choosing attachment (fitting in) over authenticity (being yourself) sets you up for long-term health issues. So forget about others' opinions. Remember, being healthy > seeking approval. These techniques actually work as our brains tend to: - Ignore the high costs of our inaction - Understate the positive results of taking action - Exaggerate negative consequences of taking action. How do you manage your stress? #healthandwellness #workplacehealth #stress

Most “stress management” initiatives in the workplace completely miss the point. April is recognized as National Stress Awareness Month and during this time, we see companies sharing meditation apps, yoga classes, and breathing techniques. And yes, those help. But if your employees are constantly in fight-or-flight mode because of how they’re treated at work… no wellness app in the world is going to fix that. Here’s what the stress management conversation needs to include: - Leading teams efficiently and building trust - Setting consistent, realistic expectations - Communicating with clarity and respect - Providing feedback that’s direct and kind - Modeling healthy work-life boundaries at the top I’ve worked with organizations that didn’t realize the stress they were “managing” was actually being created inside their culture. Don’t just talk about stress. Audit the culture that's creating it. I have helped organizations create positive workplace cultures for 16 years. If you’re ready to take the conversation beyond wellness apps, I can help you start with the hard stuff - the stuff that actually works. #CivilityAtWork #LIPostingDayApril #Stress

Stress doesn’t just wear you down—it reshapes who you are. At the University of Louisville, our research into workplace stress has taught us something critical: when stress goes unmanaged, it doesn’t just impact our day. It rewires our reactions, reshapes our identity, and reduces our capacity to lead well. Honestly? I’m feeling it right now—just writing this post. A new study published from the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (BBRF) confirms what we’ve seen in our own work: when we consistently respond poorly to everyday stress, we don’t just feel worse—we become worse versions of ourselves. Let that land: Over time, we lose emotional stability. We become less open. And even our fluid intelligence—our ability to adapt and think—takes a hit. For leaders, this is more than personal. It’s cultural. It’s organizational. Unacknowledged stress erodes trust, creativity, and engagement. But when we face it, when we talk about it, when we design for it—we create something better. Here’s the leadership challenge: Build a culture where stress isn’t hidden—it’s named. Where psychological safety isn’t a buzzword—it’s a strategy. Where resilience isn’t heroic—it’s collective. Ask this often: What are acceptable levels of stress here—and when is the pressure too great? And when you need a reset, here are a few science-backed micro-strategies: • Name the stress. Labeling how you feel helps regulate the brain’s fear center. • Practice micro-recovery. Take five. Move. Breathe. Step away. • Build in predictability. Small routines = psychological safety. • Get physically active. Walk. Stretch. Move your body, change your brain. • Sleep like it’s your job. Recovery is not optional. • Set boundaries without guilt. Protect your capacity to show up tomorrow. The cost of chronic stress is high. But the ROI of emotional intelligence, shared resilience, and better boundaries? Even higher. #Leadership #Resilience #StressManagement #FutureOfWork #EmotionalIntelligence #EmployeeEngagement #OrganizationalCulture #PsychologicalSafety https://lnkd.in/eRnB3fPn

The Ocean of Legal Stress: How Acceptance Can Set You Free Picture this: It's 9 PM, you're still at your desk. Your inbox is overflowing, opposing counsel just blindsided you, your client is ignoring your advice, and your partner dropped another "urgent" assignment on your plate. Sound familiar? For over 40 years as a trial lawyer, I've lived in this ocean of stress. In Episode 309 of The Free Lawyer, I share how one childhood lesson transformed my approach to legal practice. Going with the Flow As a boy at the beach, I would struggle against the ocean's undertow. My father offered this simple wisdom: "Go with the flow, then make a choice to return to where you want to be." This became my professional mantra. In law, our instinct is to fight against every difficult circumstance, but this resistance is often the source of our stress. What Acceptance Really Means Acceptance isn't surrender. It's acknowledging reality without letting it drain your energy. I applied this during a challenging divorce case with a difficult opposing counsel. Instead of matching his belligerence, I accepted that this was simply who he was, remained composed, and secured a favorable outcome with far less stress. The Power of Controlling What You Can In Episode 309, I emphasize that stress management is about understanding what you can and cannot control. We control our responses and preparation. We cannot control court schedules, client decisions, or opposing counsel's personalities. Practical Strategies 1. Anticipate stress points: Identify potential stressors each morning. 2, Set realistic client expectations: Be the "firefighter" helping clients navigate crises honestly. 3, Maintain composure in court: Focus on next steps, not emotional reactions. 4, Model acceptance for your team: Create a more effective work environment. This mindset served me well when winning a series of trucking company cases and during my first solo jury trial against one of Maryland's most inflammatory attorneys. The journey from stress-ridden to acceptance-embracing lawyer transforms everything – reducing stress, enhancing client relationships, and rekindling your joy in the profession. What circumstance in your practice are you currently resisting that might benefit from acceptance? #LawyerStress #ProfessionalWellbeing #TheFreeLawyer

🚨 Stress is like an overloaded circuit. When we keep adding to it, eventually, something’s going to blow. With International Stress Awareness Week kicking off on November 1, it’s a good time to hit pause and check our own “circuits.” And trust me, I've had my fair share of near-burnouts, especially in mission-critical organisational transformations where the stakes are literally life/death. Here are my top three #stressmanagement tips learned over the years. 📍 Learn to “unplug” – literally and figuratively. Just like devices need recharging, so do we. I flew across three continents in 8 days for a gruelling roadshow for a difficult client. When I touched down back home, I was fried. Rookie mistake: Didn't schedule in down time upon returning. Now, I have at least one “unplug day” a month—no emails, no social media, no work. This was from the latest one at Qunci Villas. 📍Treat your mind like a muscle - flex and rest    Just like you wouldn’t work out the same muscle every day without giving it a break, your mind needs intervals too. I used to power through long stretches of work, thinking I was getting more done, faster. I wasn't. Quality and concentration waned. Now, I tackle challenging tasks in bursts, then take mini breaks. A quick cacao or stretch break can make a world of difference. 📍Shift your focus from “to-do” to “to-feel” We obsess over ticking boxes on our to-do lists, but when was the last time you asked yourself how you want to FEEL at the end of the day? Less stressed? More accomplished? I ask myself what emotions I want to amplify. This subtle shift can be the difference between feeling like I’m drowning in tasks vs. having a clear sense of purpose. Stress is inevitable, but how we manage it is within our control. And remember, no one’s “circuit” is unbreakable. Protect your energy like it’s your most valuable asset—because it is. What’s your best stress management hack? 🔋 #StressAwarenessWeek #MentalHealth #SelfLeadership #futurefitleaders

There’s one step in creating Psychological Safety that we CAN’T skip. And that's Stress Resilience. Think about it: How can a person belong, learn, contribute, and challenge when their brain is in survival mode? A brain that's overwhelmed isn't really concerned about building a healthy work environment, right? It’s just trying to make it through the day. Basically, when we’re stressed, our capacity to work at our potential and to have healthy interactions with our peers gets interrupted. So when we actively start managing it, it puts us in a position to show up and consider psychological safety from a more grounded and intentional position.. This is what allows us to contribute to a healthy work environment. So here are a couple of ways to start keeping an eye on your stress ⬇️ ➡️ Stress Management Tools Try simple practices throughout the day like gratitude, journaling, and breathwork! We have a bunch of quick and easy tools you can use every day. Check out our Mako Method Framework™ at www.makomindfulness.com - beyond that? Big fan of therapy, coaching, and getting granular on what you specifically need for your mind and body to be most effective. ➡️ Get to Know Yourself This means knowing when to say no or when to step back from work. Start by prioritizing your tasks and understanding your limits. Consider what drains your energy. What can you adjust or “pass” on to protect your well-being? Just remember, your boundaries are YOURS to uphold. ➡️ Enjoy Life Outside of Work I’ve definitely done the whole slippery slope where my work becomes my identity. Making sure that I have a life (and enjoy it) outside of my career has made a big difference. You guys know I love a good exhibit (The Kinsey Collection in Houston was amazing), live music, time with my loved ones, dance classes. Etc. The point is, when I have outlets in place and am enjoying my life, I tend to not feel that sense of resentment towards my work. It helps me not to put all the pressure on my professional life to bring me a sense of fulfillment. By implementing strategies like these, we strengthen our ability to handle stress and set the stage for psychological safety to grow. 🖤 Learn more about the importance of managing stress in the process of creating psychological safety in our training! DM me for more info! Create a great day! #MakoMindfulness #StressManagement #PsychologicalSafety #ProfessionalDevelopment #MindfulnessTraining #EmployeeWellbeing #StaffDevelopment

Have you ever had a wake-up call that made you reassess everything? I remember driving my brand-new Mercedes Benz, dressed to impress and feeling on top of the world. But suddenly, I was hit with a wave of heart palpitations and an unbearable weight on my chest. I was under 30, outwardly successful, yet the stress and pressure were literally squeezing the life out of me. That was my wake-up call. I realized I needed to prioritize my well-being. I enlisted the help of a coach who guided me to incorporate wellness into my daily routine. Today, we need to talk about a game-changer in productivity that often gets overlooked: Integrating well-being into your daily workload. In the hustle of your everyday life, how often do you really stop to consider the role of well-being in your overall productivity?👀 It’s easy to brush aside self-care when deadlines are looming and your inbox is overflowing. However, prioritizing your health can have profound effects, not only on your work performance but on your overall happiness and satisfaction. This isn’t just about taking a break or the occasional spa day— It’s about making well-being a foundational part of your everyday work routine. I want to share seven key tactics to help you seamlessly integrate well-being with your daily workload: ✅ Prioritize Wellbeing as Non-Negotiable: Make self-care a scheduled part of your daily routine. Treat it with the same importance as any critical meeting. ✅ Build a Breathing Practice: Incorporate the 4-7-8 breathing technique into your daily routine at least twice a day to manage stress and improve focus. Inhale through the nose for 4 seconds, hold the breath for 7 seconds, and exhale through the mouth for 8 seconds. ✅ Stay Active with the Executive Workout: Maintain both physical health and mental acuity with a routine that fits your schedule. ✅ Embrace Gratefulness: Try the three blessings exercise. At the end of each workday, jot down three things you’re grateful for. This simple practice shifts your focus towards the positive, enhancing resilience against daily challenges. ✅ Eat Well, Feel Good: Consult a Nutritionist to tailor a meal plan that supports your executive lifestyle, ensuring you fuel your body for success. ✅ Stay Connected: Allocate time each week to strengthen relationships with family, friends, or business contacts. Think of it as an investment with an emotional and psychological ROI. ✅ Honor Your Boundaries: Learn the power of saying 'no' to tasks that don’t align with your priorities or well-being. Set clear boundaries for your time and energy, both in the office and at home. Let's keep it real: ↳ Integrating well-being into your daily grind is essential, and it starts with being self-aware. This isn't just about staying physically fit or getting through your to-do list. It's about keeping your mental health in check too. P.S. I'd love to hear a tip in the comments below on how you balance well-being with your workload!

STOP LOSING YOUR SH*T & LEARN TO MASTER YOUR EMOTIONS.   Recently, I watched a president of a company lose his temper.   He screamed, swore, stomped around, threw things, & slammed the door. He was completely out of control. And his behavior was absolutely unacceptable.   As educated, capable leaders, we must hold ourselves to a higher standard.   You must master your emotions, because over reacting can cost you everything.    ❌ People go to prison for one reaction.   ❌ People lose their jobs for one reaction.   ❌ People lose their relationships for one reaction.   The good news is that it doesn’t have to be that way.   You can learn to master your emotions & respond instead of react:   1. Increase Your Self-Awareness: Develop a deep understanding of your emotions. Regularly check in with yourself to identify how you're feeling and why.   2. Develop Emotional Intelligence: Study emotions in depth & understand how your emotions impact others.   3. Practice Mindfulness and Meditation: Use these techniques to observe your emotions without judgment, self soothe & avoid impulsive reactions.   4. Recognize Triggers: Identify your emotional triggers, such as situations, people, or specific thoughts. Knowing your triggers can prevent reactivity.   5. Engage in Breathwork: Deep, slow breathing calms your nervous system. When overwhelmed, pause & focus on your breath, inhale deeply through your nose & exhale slowly out your mouth.   6. Explore Progressive Muscle Relaxation: This technique involves tensing & then relaxing each muscle group in your body to reduce physical tension that accompanies strong emotions.   7. Learn Cognitive Restructuring: Once you develop deeper levels of self awareness, you can challenge irrational or distorted thoughts that cause intense emotions.   8. Practice Emotional Labeling: Use precise words to pinpoint your feelings & manage them effectively. 9. Amplify Your Empathy: Develop empathy for yourself & others by seeing the situation from their perspective.   10. Utilize Healthy Outlets: Find healthy ways to release your intense emotions, such as breathwork or physical exercise.   11. Incorporate Stress Reduction Techniques: Daily stress reduction practices such as exercise, a healthy diet, adequate sleep, & time management are critical for emotional regulation.   12. Check for Side Effects: Certain medications & supplements, especially those related to hormones, can adversely impact your mood. Talk to your physician if you think this may be an issue for you.   13. Seek Professional Help: If emotional regulation remains a significant challenge, consult a therapist, counselor, or qualified coach to provide you with personalized guidance & support.   Learning emotional regulation is a valuable skill that can greatly improve your life, both personally and professionally.   To be your best & achieve your highest levels of success, YOU MUST MASTER YOUR EMOTIONS.   👉 Do you agree?