When Overwhelm Becomes Fuel

 Thriving Where Others Freeze

I’ve talked before on my blog about being a workaholic. It’s just how I’m wired. While that word sometimes carries a negative connotation, for me, it’s simply a reflection of how I function best: in motion, under pressure, and surrounded by chaos.

Now, I know that not everyone is built this way, and that’s completely okay. Some people simply don’t thrive under pressure, and I genuinely believe it’s not something they can change. As I like to say, they’re just not "coded" for that kind of environment, and there’s no shame in that. It’s important to understand and respect how differently we all respond to stress and responsibility.

But then, there are the rare few who seem like they were born ready for chaos. I can spot them instantly. Throw them into a whirlwind with no clear exit, and they somehow manage to handle it all calmly, without yelling, without panic. Just action. I find that energy incredibly powerful and familiar.

As for me, I’ve noticed something very specific about how I function. I work better when I have too much to do than when I have too little. Give me just one or two tasks and I’ll probably procrastinate, thinking, "Oh, that can wait." And suddenly, the day is over, and nothing gets done. Maybe it’s laziness, or maybe it’s just the way my brain responds to low urgency.

But when my schedule is packed, when it feels like a mountain of snow is about to collapse on me, that’s when I really get to work. No questions asked. I just go. I enter this hyper-productive zone where everything flows, and I keep moving from one thing to the next without stopping. It might sound exhausting to some, but to me, it’s natural.

And here’s something I’ve noticed time and time again. Even when I’m caught in complete chaos, when my mind feels like a storm, confused and discouraged, unsure what to do, my actions don’t reflect that. My moves remain calm, clean, and straightforward. No panic. No emotional explosions. It’s like there’s a quiet version of me that takes the wheel when everything else feels like it’s falling apart.

I’ve also realized that people often mistake being calm under pressure for being emotionless or cold, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Just because I’m not visibly panicking doesn’t mean I’m not feeling everything on the inside. Sometimes, the chaos in my head is deafening. But the difference is, I’ve trained myself to act despite it. To stay still on the outside even if I’m spiraling on the inside. It’s like emotional multitasking — feeling everything and still getting things done.

This is something I’ve noticed in others like me too, the ones who thrive under pressure. They might not look overwhelmed, but that doesn't mean they don’t feel it. The difference is in how they channel it. While some freeze or shut down, we go into action mode. And honestly, I think there’s something beautiful in that — in being able to carry chaos with grace, to hold the storm quietly without letting it spill over onto others.

But of course, it’s not always sustainable. Just because I can operate in high-stress environments doesn’t mean I should live in them constantly. I’ve learned the hard way that even the strongest systems burn out when there’s no pause. So now I try, try being the keyword, to build in moments of rest. Not because I want to slow down, but because I want to keep going. And ironically, knowing how to rest becomes the skill that keeps the chaos manageable.

And here’s the truth I can’t skip over, no matter how much I love being busy: stress isn’t good. Even when we function well under pressure, that doesn’t mean we should keep swallowing it without release. I’ve learned that just because I can handle a lot, it doesn’t mean I should carry it all in silence. The body keeps score. And no matter how productive I am, if I don’t let that pressure out, if I don’t process it, move through it, talk it out, or cry it out — it will find its way out eventually, and not in a healthy way. So yes, I work better when I have a lot to do. But I also know I have to be intentional about not letting that pressure stay stuck inside. Because thriving under pressure should never mean living in it.

Nena

"It’s not stress that kills us, it is our reaction to it."
– Hans Selye