The Wellness Wire: Issue 16

🫤 The stress sweet spot

Stress isn’t the villain it’s made out to be, until it is.

Research shows performance and mood soar when we sit in a sweet spot of moderate challenge, then nosedive when pressure is too low (boredom) or too high (distress).

Chronic overload does more than dent productivity: it rewires hormones, raises blood pressure and speeds up wear and tear on every system.

Read on. You’ll learn to spot early warning signs, nudge yourself back into the eustress zone, and tap low-tech tactics (plus a few Strove tools) to keep stress working for you, not against you.

🥱 From boredom to burnout

Most of us picture stress as a straight line: more pressure, worse outcome. In reality, it looks like a gentle hill.

Psychologists call it the Yerkes–Dodson curve. As stress levels rise from low to moderate, performance climbs, too. Think sharper focus, stronger motivation, and quicker learning. 

Push past that peak and the same arousal flips into fatigue, then slides toward overload, errors and burnout 😖

A recent workplace study backed this up: participants reporting moderate stress logged roughly 60 % higher self-rated productivity than on low-stress days, yet productivity collapsed once they crossed into high-stress territory.

Takeaway: Aim for the middle band: enough challenge to stay engaged but not so much that it frays your focus or well-being. That “sweet spot” can vary from person to person and depends on context. Your workload, mindset, and support systems all shape how stress hits. The first step is spotting the early signs of drift or overload, and we’ll cover exactly how in the next section.

🛑 From helpful to harmful

A little stress can wake you up and sharpen your focus. But when heavy stress hangs around for days or weeks, it chips away at your health.

What long-term stress can do

• Hormone spike: Your body keeps pumping out the stress hormone cortisol. Over time, too much cortisol can raise blood pressure, add belly fat, and weaken your immune system.
  

• Heart strain: People with stressful jobs have higher blood pressure and a greater risk of heart disease.
  

• Mood drop: Long stretches of high stress are linked to anxiety, depression and burnout.

Brief bursts of pressure are normal. Long, unbroken stretches are not. 

But how do you know if your stress levels are too high?

👀 Spotting the signs early

You don’t need fancy tools to know when stress is building up. Your body, mood and habits are already full of clues, if you know what to look for.

Check in with yourself:

🛌 Sleep shifts – Struggling to fall asleep, waking often, or feeling tired even after a full night? Stress might be the reason.

💬 Mood changes – Feeling more irritable, flat or anxious than usual? Snapping at small things? That’s often a red flag.

🧠 Mental fog – Trouble focusing, forgetfulness or making simple mistakes can indicate your brain is overloaded.

💼 Work tension – Dreading the day ahead, avoiding tasks or feeling like you’ve lost control? These are early signs of burnout.

⌚ Device cues – Fitness trackers and smartwatches can help too. Rising resting heart rate, poor sleep scores or drops in HRV levels may all reflect growing stress.

When you notice these patterns, it’s your cue to take action.

⚖️ Finding your way back to balance

Feeling off? You don’t need a full reset. Small, repeatable actions can shift you back into your stress sweet spot, where challenge feels good, not crushing.

If you’re flat or drifting:
⏳ Set a mini deadline
🔄 Switch up your routine
👯 Work alongside someone
🧩 Break tasks into bite-sized wins

If you’re overwhelmed:
🧘 Take a 10-minute walk
🫁 Try box breathing (4·4·4·4)
📓 Write down the worry, then one action
🤝 Talk to someone you trust

To stay resilient:
🌙 Prioritise sleep
🥗 Eat nutritious whole foods
📵 Make space without screens
🧾 Audit your week by asking what filled or drained you

Need support?
Open the Strove library for meditations, yoga, workouts and more. Or book a private chat with a talk professional, coach, or counsellor who is ready to help without any pressure.

Here’s the good news. You don’t need to drop 20 kilos to feel better. Research shows that even a 5% weight loss can significantly reduce joint pain and improve function.

Small changes in eating habits, daily movement, and strength training can add up quickly. That’s where coaching, community, and tracking can make all the difference.

Have you tried the new AI-powered Strove meal tracking feature?

🧭 The takeaway

Stress isn’t just something to survive. It’s something to understand, shape and use. The goal isn’t zero stress. It’s the right amount, at the right time, with tools to recover when life tips the balance.

Find your sweet spot.
Stay there more often.
If you need support, reach out early.

🏢 Could Strove help at your organisation?

Support your team in finding their stress sweet spot, with tools that promote focus, recovery and resilience.

Book a demo to see the difference.