Acute stress activates the body’s fight-or-flight response, sharpening focus and increasing physical readiness. This is adaptive and generally harmless. The problem is chronic stress where the nervous system never returns to baseline because stressors accumulate without adequate recovery.
The key variable is recovery, not the presence of stress. High-performing people experience significant stress but build in deliberate recovery periods. Sleep, physical movement, social connection, and quiet time are all recovery activities.