Stress Awareness
Stress Awareness

Horizon Heart to Heart

Clinical supervisors Sam Gray and Lindsay Coker join host Shakira Henry to talk about how stress shows up in mind and body and what daily habits can ease it. The conversation shares real-life experiences, practical strategies and a fresh take on resilience that doesn’t glorify burnout.

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41:03•7 Apr 2026

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Stress Awareness: Reading Your Body’s Signals Before Burnout Hits

Episode Overview

Stress is described as the gap between life’s demands and the resources you have to handle them, including how you see your own capacity.
Stress can appear as both mental symptoms (racing thoughts, irritability, difficulty sleeping) and physical symptoms (tension, stomach issues, heart rate changes).
Breathing where the exhale is longer than the inhale, especially using the diaphragm, can help calm the nervous system more effectively than shallow chest breathing.
Resilience is framed as flexibility, rest and support, rather than pushing harder or wearing chronic stress as a badge of honour.
Tuning into the body with curiosity, taking small daily breaks and setting clear boundaries are highlighted as key habits to prevent long-term burnout.

“Resilience isn’t about tolerating more stress. I think that mindset is actually what drives a lot of people to the point of burnout.”

How can compelling narratives motivate and inspire others to rethink how they handle stress? This conversation from Horizon Heart to Heart brings together clinical supervisors Sam Gray and Lindsay Coker, alongside host Shakira Henry, for a grounded, honest chat about what stress really is and what you can actually do about it. Lindsay kicks things off with a simple equation: stress equals the demands on you minus the resources you have to handle them.

Those resources might be time, money, skills, support or even just how you *perceive* your own capacity. From there, Sam explains how stress can hit both mind and body, from racing thoughts and sleepless nights to muscle tension, stomach issues and a “brick sitting on my chest.” You’ll hear all three compare where they personally feel stress first, making the topic feel very human and relatable. Practical strategies run throughout the chat.

They talk about slowing your movements to calm racing thoughts, using breathing where the exhale is longer than the inhale, and why chest breathing can ramp up anxiety while belly breathing can ease it. Green noise and other sound types get a mention as simple tools to support rest and sleep. A big focus is on resilience without self-sacrifice. As Sam puts it, “Resilience isn’t about tolerating more stress.

I think that mindset is actually what drives a lot of people to the point of burnout.” Rest, real breaks (including actually taking your lunch), boundaries and everyday micro-moments of self-care all get reframed as essentials, not luxuries. Lindsay shares how illness forced her to reprioritise, and both guests stress the importance of tuning into the “language of the body” with curiosity rather than judgement.

If you’ve been powering through on autopilot, this conversation might nudge you to ask: what is your body trying to say, and are you ready to listen?

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