425 - Why Managing Stress Isn’t the Same as Releasing It (And What Works Instead)

You’re good at managing stress.

You solve the problems.

You handle what needs to be handled.

You keep going.

And yet, your body still feels tight, tired, or on edge — even after the situation is over.

That’s because managing a stressor and releasing stress are not the same thing.

In this episode, I’m breaking down the difference between the stressors in your life and the stress response happening in your body, why stress isn’t just mental but physiological, and how uncompleted stress responses quietly drain your nervous system capacity over time.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The difference between handling a stressor and discharging stress from your body
• Why your nervous system doesn’t automatically “stand down” when a problem is solved
• How accumulated stress contributes to allostatic load and narrows your window of tolerance
• What it actually means to say we “store stress in the body”
• Why releasing stress — not just managing it — is essential for expanding your capacity

This episode is for you if you function well, cope effectively, and keep showing up — but feel like stress never fully leaves your body.

If you want to stop carrying stress from one moment into the next and start building real capacity instead of just getting through your days, this conversation will help you understand what actually works — and why.