You made it into 2026. We are in a strong, internal push-pull moment again.
When crisis and uncertainty ramp up to a level that’s difficult to tolerate, I see leaders (including myself) get pulled hard in multiple directions at once. The pressure increases on professional, systemic, and personal levels—all at once.
Do you feel it?
Do your decisions feel even more urgent and critical?
Are you worried about how your team will keep going?
I’ve noticed leaders respond to this heightened pressure in three basic modes:
Double Down & Work More: You dive in with more fire and clarity, laser-focused on the directions you’re already pursuing. Perhaps you double down in all areas of your life.
Slow Down: You feel yourself hesitating despite the urgency. You may not look slower from the outside, but you can feel less able to push through, with less energy and more sadness.
Scattered: You respond to everything. You don’t feel like you can say no or focus. Everyone needs your support, and you’re doing your best to show up for everyone—maybe even taking on new opportunities.
Not surprising, right? With what we know about our bodies’ natural responses to threats.
None of these is right or wrong.
They’re your nervous system responses shaped by your identity, history, and current circumstances.
Each has its trade-offs: slowdown increases internal stress when action feels urgent. Scattered spreads your energy too thin. Action-packed requires more cortisol than your body can sustain.
The important thing is to notice where you are.
And then work to add a very small dose of sustainable rhythm toward a less extreme push, pull, or scatter.
So let’s do that together.
Below, I’m sharing a simple noticing practice and gentle shifts for each mode.
🏮 BEACONS
Your Noticing Practice
Slow down for a moment and take stock:
- What is your response mode to this moment of heightened uncertainty?
- How is your current response supporting your leadership? Your well-being?
- What 2-3 values do you want to embody in this leadership moment?
- How could your current response deny you the opportunity to lead from your core values?
Noticing is the first step.
The next step is a small, gentle shift toward a more balanced approach:
If you’re full of action: Build in a short pause this week—a walk, journaling, coffee without news or emails open.
If you’re feeling slow and stuck: Pick a very small doable action that connects your values to action in under 15 minutes. A walk with a colleague. A 5-minute call to a senator. Setting up one meeting that moves a strategic goal forward.
If you’re feeling scattered: Spend 10-15 minutes reflecting on your core values and 3 priorities for the next month (try one professional, two personal).
Please, do not do this alone. This is the moment to realize we cannot make these changes, cannot resist, cannot care in isolation. We build strength and courage from community, from each other’s examples.
Notice how you’re leading. Realign with your values. Make a gentle move. Find people who can be with you in it.
🌊 TIDE TURNERS
More resources & support
Is Your Stress Impacting Your Leadership? – Psychology Today (Dec 2024)
It names the long-term impact of leadership stress on cognitive load. Discusses the forgotten element of the nervous system and the body.
From Triggered to Tranquil: Reset Your Nervous System – Good Life Project Podcast
Multiple speakers sharing about regulating your nervous system