chronic stress - Barb Fletcher

The Pressure You Don’t Post About: Expectations, Achievement, and the High Performer’s Inner Voice

From the outside, entrepreneurship can look exciting. Freedom. Growth. Vision. Momentum. Choice. But many entrepreneurs know a different reality. The pressure is not only in the deadlines, revenue goals, launch dates, team decisions, or constant uncertainty. Often the heaviest pressure is internal. It is the pressure to stay sharp, keep building, solve problems fast, and […]

Barb Fletcher

6 days ago

The Voice Beneath the Scrubs: Pressure, Self-Talk, and the Cost of Being the Strong One

In healthcare, pressure is easy to explain on paper. There are patients, priorities, documentation, staffing realities, emotional demands, and the unrelenting pace of caring for people when they are vulnerable. But there is another layer of pressure that rarely makes the report. It is the pressure to stay composed no matter what. To not make […]

Barb Fletcher

2 weeks ago

When Caring Starts to Hurt: The Invisible Pressure Personal Support Workers Carry

There is a kind of pressure that rarely gets named in care work. It is not just the schedule. Not just the short staffing. Not just the heavy lifts, the emotional moments, or the long days that follow you home. Sometimes the deepest pressure is the one you place on yourself. It sounds like this: […]

Barb Fletcher

3 weeks ago

Why You’re So Tired After “Easy” Days

You walk through the door and drop your bag. Not because it was heavy. Because you are. It was supposed to be an easy day. No crisis calls. No aggressive behaviors. No last-minute staffing chaos. And yet your body feels wrung out. Your head is foggy. Your patience is thin. You might even feel a […]

Barb Fletcher

1 month ago

When Stress Becomes the Norm: Navigating Hidden Burnout in Care Work

Burnout Without Collapse You still show up. You get dressed, pack your bag, and step into someone else’s day. You do the work that needs doing. No one is worried about you. You are not crying in the break room. You are not calling in sick every week. You are not falling apart. And yet […]

Barb Fletcher

2 months ago

Does mental health need to be the new cancer prevention

I remember when I began my career nearly 40 years ago (holy cow, the time has gone quickly), there was an expectation that any issues, challenges or stress you experienced should be “parked at the door“. In other words, don’t bring it to work. Although that sounded like a good idea at the time, it […]

Barb Fletcher

3 years ago

woman multi-tasking at work next to woman experiencing TMJ

Is good stress an oxymoron? Are there any options

As a woman, I am no stranger to stress. From juggling work and family responsibilities to dealing with societal pressures to look and act a certain way, stress has become a constant companion. And like many women, I have often bought into the idea that some stress is good for us – that it helps […]

Barb Fletcher

3 years ago