Two Types of Stress. Only One Sends Obvious Signals.
Focusing on My Health
And the Stress I Didn't See Coming
Every year, I tend to cluster my health checkups into the same month or two. It gives me a helpful big-picture view of where I stand—but it also means I sometimes get hit with a cascade of news all at once.
This year? That’s exactly what happened.
In just a few weeks, I got a few surprises:
A flagged result in my bloodwork
A sudden need for bone grafting in my jaw
Light therapy treatments for pre-cancerous skin cells
Safe to say, my focus on health went into overdrive.
I picked up a continuous glucose monitor to go with my other trackers. I started logging everything I ate—and when I ate it. I paid attention to how I chewed, avoiding my front teeth to protect the graft area. I even worked on not sleeping on my side to relieve pressure.
Everything came with a next step. Oral surgery. Follow-ups. Monitoring. Adjustments.
• • •
Two Types of Stress
What I Didn’t See at First
I like to think I manage stress fairly well. But this round reminded me: there’s more than one kind of stress at play.
1. The stress you know
This one’s easy to spot. Tension. Restlessness. Trouble sleeping. Digestive shifts. You feel it in your body.
2. The stress you don’t see
I call this invisible stress. It’s sneakier—and honestly, more dangerous. You don’t feel stressed, but it’s there, working behind the scenes.
For me, it showed up like this:
I was sleeping through the night, but barely getting any core sleep (the deep, restorative kind).
I found it harder to focus.
My moods would shift fast—and I didn’t always know why.
I started second-guessing how much personal stuff to share at work, or how much time I could “afford” to take off.
I wasn’t falling apart. But I definitely wasn’t thriving.
• • •
Recognizing Invisible Stress
A Coaching Approach
In coaching, we often say that insight comes first—then comes change. That definitely applied here.
When I finally paused long enough to name the stress under the surface, everything began to shift. And not just emotionally—physiologically, too.
If you’re wondering how this might be showing up in your own life, here are a few powerful coaching questions to try:
What’s draining your energy that you haven’t fully acknowledged?
On a scale of 1–10, how mentally centered do you feel lately? What would move that number up just one point?
What would be possible if you gave your health 20% more attention this month?
These come from a mix of my coaching toolbox and lots of practical experience. They are powerful questions that can often be modified to any part of your life where change is happening, or you think it might be.
Sometimes, the shift we need starts with simply getting curious.
• • •
What Helped Me Recenter
No Silver Bullets—Just Better Habits
Here’s what helped me find my footing again:
Meditation and guided relaxation: I didn’t wait for stress to build. I made time for calm. I tried to meditate more mornings than not before sitting down to work, and again in the evenings to separate my work day from my personal time.
Movement: Not a fitness overhaul—just consistent, gentle activity. Mixing up what I did for movement and watching my body metrics for how much I could push made a big difference in my ability to get more activity into my life.
Tighter nutrition: I fine-tuned things I’d previously considered “good enough.” Understanding what foods did to my body when I ate them opened my eyes to where changes were needed.
Mindset shifts: I let go of work guilt, reminded myself I have a supportive team, and re-committed to my wellness.
Curiosity as medicine: I actually enjoyed researching topics, watching health YouTube videos, and asking ChatGPT about nutrition. Learning became part of the healing.
• • •
Health Issues Create a Pivot Point
More Than Just Appointments
If you're in your 50s or 60s like many of my readers, you may know this well: a health wake-up call isn’t just about follow-ups and test results. It can bring bigger questions to the surface:
Am I living in alignment with what matters most?
What do I need to let go of to feel better—mentally, physically, emotionally?
How do I want the next chapter of life to feel?
For many of us, that starts with our well-being.
• • •
Try This: A Simple Coaching Framework
If you're feeling off-center—whether it’s health-related or not—here’s a gentle structure based onA SIMPLE COACHING MODEL:
Clarify – What’s most pressing for you right now, health-wise or otherwise?
Explore – What’s beneath the surface? What’s the real source of tension or misalignment?
Shift – What new possibility or perspective is trying to emerge?
Act – What’s one small but meaningful action you can take this week?
Sometimes, a single step is all you need to break the cycle of invisible stress.
• • •
Your Turn
Have you experienced this kind of invisible stress before? How did it show up for you—and what helped you recenter?
If you’re exploring ways to feel better, stronger, or more aligned—especially in this phase of life—I’d love to hear about it.
And if you’d like some coaching prompts to guide you through it, let me know.
Because “Without your health, you have nothing” isn’t just a cliché.
When it hits home, it becomes a north star for the rest of your decisions.
