A Leaders Guide to Stress Awareness

Hello

I'm back after a little break from dropping into your inboxes this April.

I took some much-needed time off over the Easter period and spent time in Italy visiting Sorrento, the Amalfi Coast, Vesuvius and Pompeii. It really has been a spectacular trip and precious time with my teenage daughter who is growing up fast!

I've come back feeling rested and raring to go again and so as we draw to the close of Stress Awareness Month, I wanted to write about stress awareness for all of us who are leaders of people and businesses - me as much as you!

I am no stranger to stress. I'm sure you'll agree that it's an inevitable part of life and business!

Not all stress is bad stress. Studies show that how we perceive stress is important in how positively we manage it and a certain level of stress can be helpful for performance and creating drive, motivation and a sharper focus.

However, living and operating in a constant state of stress (chronic stress) over a long period of time is unhealthy, especially when we repeatedly override our body's natural stress signals. Pushing through without pause can silently build toward burnout, decision fatigue, and leadership inefficacy.

As leaders we are taught to use our minds and our intellect as the driving force of how we deliver success. We are rarely taught and reminded that our minds only work well when our body, brain and cognition are working harmoniously together.

I believe that connecting somatically with our bodies and habitually regulating our nervous system is critical to leadership effectiveness and wellbeing. Especially when it comes to handling the stress that inevitably comes with leadership.

Understanding Stress: The Good, the Bad, and the Invisible

Stress is our body's ancient, built-in system designed to alert us to challenges and mobilise energy to meet them. Short bursts of stress can enhance cognitive function, strengthen memory, and improve performance - think of the energetic surge before a big pitch or negotiation.

But chronic stress - especially when unacknowledged, keeps our body in a constant state of threat readiness. When we ignore or suppress stress signals (both subtle and significant), we train ourselves to disconnect from our body.

Disconnecting from our physical and emotional feelings is a maladapted coping mechanism that the mind and body switch on when we put ourselves in ongoing, high stress situations. Over time, this can have a significant impact on our physical and mental health.

However, often before significant physical and mental health consequences appear, we can start to see diminishes in our ability to manage relationships with others and reduction in our empathy, creativity and decision making abilities. These all impact our leadership capacity.

Why Leaders Need to Connect Somatically

Somatic connection simply means tuning into your body’s sensations and signals.

Your body is an incredibly wise instrument - it often knows you’re stressed before your mind admits it.

By reconnecting somatically, leaders can:

Catch early signs of stress before it escalates.
Respond rather than react in high-pressure moments.
Model emotional intelligence and presence for teams.
Enhance decision-making with a calm, clear mind.

Daily Tips for Somatic Connection

Here’s how you can practice tuning into your body, starting today:

✅ Body Scans - spend 1–2 minutes checking in with different parts of your body. Where do you feel tension? Where feels relaxed? Set a reminder twice a day and note down how you feel physically.

✅ Breath Awareness - notice your breathing patterns, especially during meetings or decision-making.

Is your breath shallow and quick?
Is it deep and slow?

Simply noticing can bring you back into regulation.

✅ Micro-Pauses - before responding to an email, answering a question, or making a decision, take a 5-second pause. Notice your body, breath and centre yourself. Recognise you have a choice to RESPOND, rather than react.

✅ Movement Breaks - movement helps discharge stress energy. Stretch, take a brisk walk, or even stand and shake your limbs out for 30 seconds between tasks.

Nervous System Regulation: Your Leadership Superpower

The nervous system has two core states:

Sympathetic (Fight/Flight): Active, urgent, stress response.
Parasympathetic (Rest/Digest/Repair): Calm, creative, open.

Chronic sympathetic activation (stress) diminishes your access to empathy, strategic thinking, and innovation. Intentionally regulating your nervous system not only helps you stay grounded - it can also help you to connect better with yourself and others, make better decisions and be more innovative and creative.

Quick Daily Nervous System Regulation Tools:

✅ Box Breathing - inhale for 4 counts → Hold for 4 → Exhale for 4 → Hold for 4. Repeat for 1–2 minutes to calm the nervous system quickly. Great for before going into high pressure situations or between meetings to optimise your energy.

✅ Grounding Techniques:

Feel your feet on the ground.
Press your palms against your thighs.
Identify five things you can see, four you can touch, three you can hear, two you can smell, one you can taste.

✅ Cold Exposure - splash cold water on your face or hold an ice cube in your hand for 30 seconds. This quickly activates the parasympathetic system.

Leading in High-Pressure, High-Stress Situations

When stakes are high:

Pause intentionally before reacting.
Anchor yourself physically - plant both feet on the floor, place a hand on your heart or belly.
Breathe out deeply for at least 3 full breaths before speaking.
Use empowering self-talk ("I can handle this. I am grounded.")
Debrief post-event - after a high-stress situation, take 5 minutes to check in somatically - what are you feeling now? Use the techniques above to ground, calm and centre yourself if needed.

Stress is not the enemy - disconnection with ourselves is.

Your body is your most valuable leadership ally. The more you attune to it, the more resilient, decisive, and magnetic you become - not only for yourself but for everyone who looks to you for leadership.

If you'd be interested in learning more about how to regulate your nervous system and improve your somatic connection, drop me a return email. I am considering setting up a small regular online meet up to practice some of these techniques together. It will either be free or a small nominal cost and it would be great to know, what the interest level might be.

Watch this space for more!

Until next time....

Lisa

Lisa Reynolds - The Strengths Coach
Coaching Psychology for Careers & Business

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