Something that came up in a few of my 1-1 coaching sessions this week – the fine line between stretching and straining.

We often think that growth is about pushing harder, doing more, keeping up momentum.
But not all action means progress.

Sometimes, the real progress happens when we pause to notice what zone we are in (green, orange, or red) and meet our needs accordingly.

🟢 In the “green,” we’re confident and grounded. Things are generally going well. This is where more proactive learning and growth can take place.

🟠 In the “orange,” things start to tighten, we find that we sleep a bit less (or too much), our energy dips, we start doomscrolling or skipping the exercise/activity we usually love.

🔴 In the “red”, we push way beyond our limits into physical and mental exhaustion. Other areas of life like relationships, health, sleep become impacted.

These are not failures. They’re signals saying: something’s off, tend to me.

Sustainable performance isn’t about avoiding pressure, but learning to read our own signals so we can live more intentionally.

This involves discernment and self-trust: knowing when to stretch, when to slow down and when to reach for support.

And part of that trust comes from creating your own trigger response plan: noticing your signals early, naming them, and reaching out for help / more self regulation so we can reduce the time and pain it takes to get back to green 💚

✨ Reflection point:
Regulate while you’re still in motion to stay in your optimal zone – not by doing more, but by listening sooner 🤍🫂