Stress & Wellness Glossary

The cumulative reserve of calm practices, habits, and tools a person has built up — their capacity to absorb stress without breaking. 'She had a high calm-load after six months of daily breathwork.'

The layered accumulation of unresolved stressors that compound over time. 'His stress-stack had been building for two years before the breakdown.' Distinct from a single acute stressor.

A deliberate, structured practice designed to return the nervous system to a parasympathetic baseline. 'She did a 10-minute nervous reset before the presentation.'

The slow, almost imperceptible slide toward burnout that occurs before any obvious symptoms appear. 'Most people don't notice burnout drift until they're already deep in it.'

The threshold beyond which elevated cortisol begins to cause measurable cognitive, physical, or emotional impairment. 'He was clearly above his cortisol ceiling — the decision-making was erratic.'

A specific sensory cue, place, person, or ritual that reliably triggers a calming nervous system response. 'Morning tea by the window was her calm-anchor.'

To actively discharge accumulated stress through physical movement, breathwork, or somatic release. 'She stress-flushed with a 20-minute run after the difficult meeting.'

The time and space required for genuine burnout recovery — not just rest, but structured healing. 'He needed at least a 90-day recovery runway to return to full capacity.'

The gradual normalisation of high stress levels, causing a person to lose awareness of how elevated their baseline has become. 'Threshold creep is why so many high-performers don't recognise burnout until it's severe.'

A period of genuine physiological calm — typically measured by heart rate variability — during which the body can repair and consolidate. 'Deep sleep is the longest natural parasympathetic window most people experience.'