Two types of stress, two different solutions
Stress isn’t just one thing, even though we talk about it that way. There are two different kinds of stress each with a different cause and solution. If you mix them up, you’ll probably stay stuck and feel even more stressed.
Overload stress happens when the demands on your thinking brain exceed its capacity. Too many moving parts, decisions and to‑dos competing for attention at once overload the prefrontal cortex. Focusing, planning and prioritising get harder, even though you’re still working flat out. This is a problem of how your workload is structured and managed.
Threat stress comes from feeling personally at risk, such as to status, reputation, relationships or sense of control. It fires up the brain’s threat system, including the amygdala. Here the challenge is to build sense a of safety, confidence and meaningful direction. We can’t solve threat stress with productivity tools, or overload stress by working on our confidence.
Overload stress is a sign your head is full, drowning under too many plans, ideas and intentions without a clear plan for how to move forward or what is important. It shows up as jumping between tasks without completing them, making more mistakes, or struggling to focus and think strategically.
The goal is to organize your workflow and freeing your brain from the job of being a filing cabinet, so it can do what it’s actually designed for. The first move is to get crystal clear on your core strategic priorities and delegate, drop or deliberately postpone what doesn't serve key goals. Next, get the projects, decisions and next steps out of your head and into a system. The cognitive burden of carrying everything in your head exhausts your working memory and collapses your capacity to think strategically. Finally, build in protected focus time for demanding work, and short, regular breaks so your ability to pay attention can reset.
Threat stress is fundamentally about losing your sense of safety, autonomy and control. You may become more impatient and irritated, withdraw or tighten control. It takes longer to recover from setbacks; you keep replaying what was said or rehearsing what might go wrong. The key is how you calm and motivate yourself after a setback, and regain a sense of competency, and grounded optimism. Start by separating the facts of what happened from the story you're telling yourself. Often the threat feels bigger than it actually is, as it flips the brain into tunnel vision. Then reconnect with evidence of past successes, and obstacles you overcome to zoom out and see the bigger picture. Finally, get clear on what's actually in your control or influence, even if it's only 1%, and put your energy there to regain a sense of agency. That's what moves you out of threat mode and gets your resources back online.
When you next catch yourself thinking “I’m stressed,” pause and check is this overload or threat to choose the lever that will actually help.
