Why: Why Stress Isn’t the Enemy—It’s a Messenger

In today’s high-pressure world, stress often gets a bad reputation. We’re told to “avoid stress,” “manage stress,” or worse, fear it. But what if that advice is only half the truth? What if stress, when understood properly, is not your enemy but your ally?

This blog breaks down a powerful idea shared by Ruble Chandy: Not all stress is bad. In fact, acute stress, when embraced and balanced properly, can sharpen your focus, accelerate performance, and skyrocket your success in business and life.

But only if you know how to work with it—not against it.

What: Acute Stress vs. Chronic Stress—The Real Difference

There are two types of stress that show up in our lives:

• Acute Stress: This is short-term, situational stress. It’s your body’s natural survival mechanism. Think of a zebra running from a lion in the wild. Once the danger passes, the zebra goes back to grazing within minutes. That stress is intense but brief. Acute stress activates adrenaline and cortisol in your system—for a short, productive burst of energy.

• Chronic Stress: This is the real enemy. It’s when your mind replays threats over and over. The lion is long gone, but you keep imagining it. It’s the worry about a client’s email, the unresolved argument with your partner, or the “what if” scenarios you create in your head. Chronic stress means your body keeps releasing cortisol and adrenaline long after the event is over. That’s what leads to burnout, fatigue, and health issues.

The key difference? Duration. Acute stress empowers you. Chronic stress exhausts you.

How: Turn Acute Stress Into Your Competitive Advantage

Instead of avoiding stress altogether, you need to use it strategically, like a high-performance athlete. Olympians train hard under extreme acute stress, pushing their bodies to peak performance. But they also prioritize rest, sleep, and recovery. That’s the formula.

Here’s how you can apply this same principle in your life:

1. Welcome short bursts of challenge – Big presentations, long workdays, strategic decisions—these are all acute stressors. Embrace them. They sharpen your focus and build resilience.

2. Rejuvenate deeply afterward – Sleep at least 7–8 hours, take time to meditate, journal, or relax. Your nervous system needs downtime to recover.

3. Break the chronic stress loop – When your mind starts spinning with “what ifs,” pause. Recognize that you’re imagining stress, not actually facing it. Shift to the present moment. Breathe. Step outside. Call a friend. Don’t feed the lion that only exists in your mind.

4. Balance activity with rest – Life is dynamic. Alternate between pushing your limits and allowing full recovery. Think of it as “dynamic meditation”: exert, relax, repeat.

What If: What If You Don’t?

If you allow every acute stress to become chronic, you begin living in perpetual survival mode. Your body is flooded with stress hormones, your sleep suffers, decision-making becomes reactive, and you burn out.

In business, this shows up as:

• Declining creativity
• Poor leadership decisions
• Diminished emotional regulation
• Weakened immune system
• Eventually, total exhaustion

On the other hand, imagine what happens when you master this balance. You become sharper, stronger, and calmer under pressure. You’re no longer ruled by stress, you’re fuelled by it.

That’s the secret sauce of Olympians. And it can be yours, too.

Summary: From Breakdown to Breakthrough

Stress isn’t the villain—it’s the messenger. Acute stress is natural. It’s part of growth, evolution, and peak performance. The real danger is chronic stress, created by you—through overthinking, rumination, and lack of recovery.

The formula is simple:

• Embrace acute stress as fuel for greatness.
• Avoid chronic stress by catching the mental loop early.
• Recover well so your body resets and stays in the growth zone.

Whether you’re an entrepreneur, CEO, athlete, or student, this shift in how you see stress can change your life. Let stress serve you, not enslave you.

Click here to watch the video: https://youtu.be/k76LUJ1oB9Y