The “I’m Fine” Pattern in High-Performing Professionals For many professionals, “I’m fine” becomes a default response. When you’re known for being capable, reliable, and composed under pressure, the instinct is to continue managing stress at work  by pushing through. And in many cases, you can. But it often comes at a cost. Some of the most common signs of stress at work  don’t look dramatic. They show up in subtle, everyday ways. Do any of these sound familiar? I know I've e

April is Stress Awareness Month , and I think it's really important that we go back to basics because most of us don't realize how much stress is impacting us . I work with a lot of mid-career, high-performing professionals and I see a pattern (this pattern has affected me many times over the years too). We feel we are… fine. We're delivering. We're more than meeting expectations. We're handling what needs to be handled. And because of that, the signs of stress at work (and a