Stress Management Toolbox: Resources for Resilience & Peak Performance
It all begins with an idea.
From Director of Health Alex Maples
What is Resourcing?
Resourcing refers to the conscious, proactive practices and tools you choose to engage before stress hits, so that when pressure builds, you’re already equipped to stay focused, calm, and effective, rather than defaulting to unconscious or reactive coping.
Proactive rather than reactive: You activate these strategies on your own schedule (through daily habits, pre-meeting rituals, or mid-day resets) not just when you feel overwhelmed.
Resource = Any habit, technique, or external aid that reliably shifts your mental or physiological state toward greater resilience and clarity. Examples include box breathing, a short walk, a gratitude practice, listening to a song you enjoy, or a quick check-in with a friend.
Conscious engagement: You intentionally choose and practice your resources, so they become accessible tools under pressure, rather than relying on autopilot behaviors that may be less productive or even harmful.
Preventative mindset: The goal is to keep your nervous system — and your attention — in the zone before stress escalates, minimizing burnout and helping you perform at your best with more consistency.
Proactive vs. Compulsive Coping
Proactive coping strategies (e.g., movement breaks, meditation, social connections, structured breathing) help build resilience and keep us centered under everyday stress.
We all have compulsive coping strategies (e.g., comfort eating, alcohol, excessive screen time). These aren't inherently "bad," but they're typically less effective in the long run and can become problematic if overused.
The goal isn't to eliminate compulsive strategies completely; instead, by proactively using healthier coping mechanisms daily, we reduce our dependence on these compulsive tools.
When we reserve compulsive coping behaviors for rare, intense bouts of stress, they remain effective as short-term emergency measures. However, constant reliance on them dulls their effectiveness and often leads to increased use, which can negatively impact well-being and productivity.
Stress Management Portfolio: Time-Based Strategy Categories
Think of your strategies like tools in a first aid kit — some help in the moment, some help over the course of the day or week, and some are long-term investments in resilience. When you build your portfolio, try to include options across all three time scales:
Quick Strategies (0–2 minutes)
In-the-moment resets for when stress spikes or focus wavers.
Examples:
Physiological sigh (two quick inhales, long exhale)
Box breathing (4–4–4–4)
Cold water on face or hands
30-second gratitude reset
Power pose/posture reset
Favorite playlist or calming scent
Stepping outside for 1–2 minutes of fresh air
Mid-Range Strategies (5–20 minutes)
Mini recharges that help you reset and refocus during the day.
Examples:
Short walk, ideally outside
Talking with a trusted colleague or friend
Body scan or guided mindfulness
Journaling or brain-dump
Stretch session or mobility flow
Intentional snack/lunch break with no screens
Focused breathwork or yoga nidra
Long-Term Strategies (Weekly to Monthly)
Practices that build your stress buffer over time and keep your nervous system resilient.
Examples:
Regular strength training or yoga
Therapy, coaching, or group support
Nature trips or tech-free retreats
Weekly sabbath/digital detox
Vacations or intentional rest days
Hobbies that bring joy or flow (painting, biking, cooking)
Practicing saying “no” or setting better boundaries
From Reaction to Resourced – Build Your Go-To Kit
The First Principles of Health and Fitness
It all begins with an idea.
From Director of Health Alex Maples
You’re busy. You’ve spent a lifetime dialing in where and how to spend your time, effort, and resources to get the best results – in your business, with your investments, with your family, and, perhaps, in your fitness journey. But, dial in prematurely and you may find that you’ve focused on the wrong tree – when the forest is somewhere else entirely.
Welcome to First Principles, a series of posts and resources to help you focus on what truly moves the needle – so the energy you spend improving your health is as efficient and effective as possible.
We’ll dive into four main pillars – those foundations that provide the greatest return on our investment when it comes to building lasting health. Here’s the quick overview:
1. Body Composition: What You’re Made Of Matters
Most people have heard about body composition, and the benefits of improving it. (Look better? Check. Be healthier? Double check.)
It’s worth noting that your ratio of muscle to fat isn’t just about aesthetics or a standalone marker of “health” – it’s metabolic currency. More muscle improves insulin sensitivity, bone density, and resting metabolic rate. Too much fat, especially around your organs (visceral fat), drives inflammation and increases the risk for chronic disease. Improving lean mass while reducing fat is strongly associated with lower all-cause mortality.
Think of your body like a financial account: Muscle is your investment, fat is your overhead. The goal is to build the account wisely. Muscle is a long-term asset – it keeps us strong, mobile, and resilient as we age. Unfortunately, muscle loss is inevitable with aging. But the more muscle we invest in building during our prime years, the more we’ll retain later in life, helping us stay upright and independent.
Fat, on the other hand, is the cost of doing business. Sometimes it accumulates as a byproduct of growth. That’s okay – it's part of the process. But eventually, the books need to be balanced. That’s where fat loss phases come in. They’re our financial audits – strategic, intentional efforts to trim the excess and keep our health account in the black.
2. Cardiorespiratory Fitness: The Engine Under the Hood
Often relegated to the realm of the endurance sports nuts, cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is in fact one of the strongest predictors of lifespan. VO₂ max, a key measure of CRF, reflects how well your body delivers and uses oxygen – a fundamental requirement for every cell in your body.
Good CRF helps you think clearly, recover faster, and handle more physical and mental stress. It lowers the risk of heart disease, stroke, and even some cancers. (And, yes, it lets you run that ultra if you want to.)
The best part? You don’t need to run marathons. Consistent zone 2 cardio (think brisk walking, cycling, rowing), along with occasional higher-intensity sessions, can make a profound difference.
3. Sleep and Recovery: Your Built-in Repair System
If you’ve tried to get healthier, your first instinct (like many people’s) might be to add more: more workouts, more supplements, more productivity hacks. But sometimes the most powerful lever is knowing when to rest.
Without quality sleep and recovery, you don’t adapt – you just accumulate stress. Recovery is when your body rebuilds, your hormones rebalance, and your mind processes the world around you.
Lack of sleep impairs glucose metabolism, weakens the immune system, disrupts mood, and fogs cognitive function. Deep sleep, in particular, is essential for physical restoration.
When you train, you write the check. Recovery is when you cash it.
4. Stress Management and Purpose: The Psychological Core
You can’t out-lift chronic stress or out-supplement a lack of meaning. (Read that again.)
Stress isn’t inherently bad – if you have goals or care about anything (i.e., you’re human), stress comes with the territory. In fact, too little stress can be just as dangerous, often signaling a lack of purpose or engagement.
The real key is learning to manage and channel it. Chronic stress disrupts your hormones, appetite, sleep, and focus. But when stress is anchored to purpose, it becomes fuel instead of friction.
A clear why is a GPS for your nervous system. It helps you reframe discomfort as growth, and it keeps you aligned when life gets messy.
We build resilience just like we build strength: through consistent training. Breathwork, boundaries, meaningful relationships, movement, time in nature – these are essential tools, not luxuries.
It’s a System, Not a Checklist
These four pillars don’t exist in isolation – they support and amplify one another. Better sleep enhances body composition. Cardio improves stress tolerance. Purpose sustains consistency.
Health isn’t about chasing perfection — it’s about mastering the fundamentals and building a system that works for your real life.
This series is designed to equip you with practical tools and mental models to strengthen the core pillars of health. You’ll learn how to filter out the noise, focus on what actually matters, and tailor a system that fits your goals and lifestyle. Whether you want a quick overview or a deep dive, you’ll find both the why and the how, along with a clear roadmap to support not just your health, but your life as a whole.