In this post we reflect on the hidden ways chronic stress shapes our culture, our relationships, and even our definitions of success. Let's explore how simple shifts can create profound changes in our collective wellbeing.

September 19, 2025

Recently, a fellow coach and business owner called me, her voice filled with exhaustion and frustration.

She had been working tirelessly to secure a significant new client, the kind of opportunity that could have transformed her entire year.

But the night before the proposal was due, her youngest child suddenly fell ill. Instead of finalizing her pitch, she spent the night in the emergency room.

By morning, the deadline had passed, the client had chosen someone else, and months of effort dissolved in an instant.

As she shared her experience with me, what struck me most wasn’t just the lost opportunity.

It was her resigned acceptance of the situation, as though it was simply another reality of running a business.

And in that moment, I realized something deeper about how chronic stress quietly reshapes our cultural norms and expectations.

We’ve come to simply accept that relentless demands, impossible deadlines, and unyielding expectations are the price of success.

We've normalized a culture where the constant, persistent pressure to always perform and deliver often eclipses our basic human needs like rest, family, wellbeing, or even compassion.

As coaches, therapists, and entrepreneurs, we often absorb these pressures without a second thought, as if pushing through fatigue, anxiety, and exhaustion is simply the price we must pay to achieve impact or visibility. 

But beneath our outward productivity, our ability to stay genuinely connected, our compassion for ourselves and others, and ultimately, our joy in the work itself slowly starts to fade away.

It redefines success, rewarding those who can sacrifice most, tolerate the most exhaustion, or push themselves the furthest without breaking. 

Over time, empathy and genuine connection become rare luxuries rather than basic expectations.

When we exist under constant pressure, relationships shift from genuine interactions to another thing we have to manage.

Conversations become shorter, patience thinner, and human connection feels increasingly rare.

But hearing my friend's story also stirred something hopeful within me.

Because if chronic stress can silently shape our culture negatively, then surely, with intention and awareness, we can shape it positively too.

Imagine if we chose differently in our daily decisions.

What if genuine wellbeing and compassion were as valued as productivity and performance? What if we collectively chose to measure success by the quality of our relationships, not just our accomplishments?

Lately, I have been experimenting with small acts of conscious presence.

I slow down conversations, allowing genuine connection to form. I pause before responding to demands, checking in with my own capacity before agreeing. 

And, I have noticed a shift not just within myself, but interestingly, also in those around me.

We can choose empathy over efficiency, rest over relentless ambition, genuine presence over hurried productivity.

When we do, we begin to rewrite our collective story, creating a culture not defined by chronic stress, but by genuine care, connection, and wellbeing.

This possibility leaves me hopeful that things can and will change. Perhaps it’s the ordinary choices that hold the greatest power to reshape the cultures we share.

How might making these choices impact your life and the lives of those around you?

www.thejorniblog.com