In last week’s post, we explored how stress accumulates, often quietly, and leaves leaders feeling depleted, driving patterns such as increased hunger and reduced energy.
This week, we turn to a critical next step:
What actually triggers these responses and why the ways we cope often make things worse.
Identifying Stress Triggers
When Don, a CEO, reached out, his primary concern was stress-related eating.
The trigger was not constant, it was specific.
Interactions with his board, particularly when his perspective or recommendations were dismissed, created a surge of frustration. In those moments, when he had a brief pause, he found himself reaching for something sweet.
Over time, this pattern led to weight gain and elevated blood pressure that added a new layer of concern to an already demanding role.
What’s important here is not the behavior itself, but the trigger → response pattern behind it.
Why Coping Mechanisms Backfire
Many of the strategies we use to cope with stress are not random. They are learned.
As Judson Brewer, Associate Professor of Medicine and Psychiatry at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, explains:
“We have conditioned ourselves to deal with stress in ways that ultimately perpetuate it rather than release us from it.”
In Don’s case, eating provided short-term relief. And it reinforced the underlying stress cycle:
Trigger (frustration) → coping behavior (eating) → temporary relief → longer-term consequence (health impact, added stress)
This is where many high-performing leaders get stuck, not from lack of awareness, but because the pattern operates quickly and often outside conscious choice.
Interrupting the Cycle
The first step in changing this pattern is not willpower, rather it’s awareness of the trigger.
A practical way to begin:
- What happened immediately before the craving?
- What emotional state was present?
- What did you reach for—and why that specific choice?
These questions shift the focus from behavior to pattern recognition.
Once the trigger is visible, the response becomes a choice rather than an automatic reaction.
Reconnecting to What Actually Matters
Awareness alone is not enough.
Sustainable change requires reconnecting to what you actually want—beyond short-term relief.
For Don, the goal was not simply to stop stress eating.
He wanted to:
- Improve his physical condition
- Build stamina
- Have the energy to fully engage in time off, including long walks on vacation
This shift—from avoiding a behavior to moving toward a meaningful outcome changed how he approached his daily decisions.
Instead of asking, “How do I stop this?”
He began asking, “What supports the life I want to live?”
That question redirected his focus toward:
- Consistent physical activity
- More intentional stress regulation
- Choices aligned with long-term energy rather than short-term relief
A Leadership Perspective
For senior leaders, stress triggers are inevitable.
What differentiates sustainable performance is the ability to:
- Recognize triggers in real time
- Interrupt automatic coping patterns
- Choose responses aligned with long-term outcomes
The goal is not to eliminate stress.
It is to respond to it in ways that do not compound its impact.
Continuing the Conversation
For a deeper look at how stress accumulates and how to regulate it effectively, revisit What to Do About Stress That Leaves You Feeling Depleted.
We are currently opening a limited number of spaces for leaders who want to:
- Strengthen energy and focus in demanding environments
- Build sustainable health practices that work in real life
- Increase resilience without adding more to an already full schedule
If this resonates, we invite you to schedule a confidential consultation to explore whether this work is the right fit for you.
Sources:
Brewer, J. (2017). The Craving Mind: From Cigarettes to Smartphones to Love—Why We Get Hooked and How We Can Break Bad Habits. Yale University Press.
Loughrey, K. (2024). Happy Life at a Healthy Weight. Authentic Wellness Publishing Company.
Kay Loughrey Advisor on Sustainable Leadership & Health Founder, Thrive-Ability™ Licensed, Registered Dietitian-Nutritionist,
Master of Public Health, Master of Science in Marketing
Sweet Life Wellness was founded by Kay Loughrey.
Kay works privately with leaders to restore energy, resilience, and alignment across leadership, health, and life.
Begin a private conversation
Request a Conversation by email to: Kay@sweetlifewellness.com
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