Work Stress Anxiety | Burnout Prevention, Stress Recovery & Emotional Resilience for High-Achieving Women
The weekday podcast for high-achieving women dealing with work stress, workplace stress, work anxiety, anxiety at work, emotional exhaustion, burnout and being human.
If you're struggling with workplace anxiety, feeling emotionally drained, lying awake at 2:03 a.m. looking at the clock, replaying conversations, or wondering why your success feels so expensive now, you're in the right place.
Hosted by Cheryl Paris, Clinical Hypnotherapist and Stress Recovery Coach, this podcast helps high-achieving women understand work-related stress, prevent burnout, build emotional resilience, and recover from chronic workplace pressure.
Work Stress Anxiety uses metaphors, nervous system education and real-world workplace examples to help high-achieving women make sense of stress, anxiety and emotional exhaustion at work.
Through honest conversations with ordinary people you’d walk past in the street every day, Cheryl explores real stories, real struggles and practical ways forward, without the motivational nonsense.
You'll get to learn practical strategies for:
• Work stress and workplace stress
• Work anxiety and anxiety at work
• Burnout prevention and burnout recovery
• Emotional exhaustion and nervous system overload
• Emotional resilience during difficult periods
• Stress recovery after prolonged pressure
• High-functioning anxiety
• Workplace conflict and investigations
• Toxic workplace cultures
• Setting boundaries without guilt
• Sleeping better when your mind won't switch off
• Coping with uncertainty, change, and job insecurity
Helping you understand what's really happening in your workplace mind, what's happening in your nervous system, and what you can do next.
ABGW stands for Awareness, Balance, Growth, and Win-Win Wellbeing.
Not pretending that a breathing exercise fixes your dysfunctional workplace.
None of that resilience theatre or so-called positivity.
Just practical support for high-achieving women who want to stop paying for their success with their health.
Shared stories are anonymised.
This podcast is for educational and reflective purposes only and does not constitute medical, psychological, legal, workplace, or professional advice.
Work Stress Anxiety | Burnout Prevention, Stress Recovery & Emotional Resilience for High-Achieving Women
Learn How To Stop Swallowing The Sea Of Stress
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Ever hear that inner voice say, “This won’t work for me,” and feel your body tense before your mind even argues back? We explore why that thought often signals a nervous system scanning for safety, not a verdict on your ability. Rather than trying to silence the storm, we share a gentler frame: you don’t have to calm the sea, you just need to stop swallowing it. That shift opens the door to micro actions that build trust, competence, and momentum without demanding perfection.
We walk through a simple, visual tool to lower the volume of self-blame and worst-case thinking: picture an old rotary phone and turn the dial down 20 percent. No muting, no fighting — just enough quiet to ask a better question: what is the smallest interpretation that keeps me effective? From that steadier place, we outline one trying action you can take today to prove to your nervous system that progress and safety can coexist. To support focus, we introduce a clear boundary line for mental loops: “I’ve answered that. If there’s new information, tell me.” It’s a compact script that respects real risks while filtering recycled fear.
Along the way, we name the deeper current that often hides beneath resistance: the fear of being blamed. By acknowledging blame as a social safety threat, we show how to move without inviting panic to steer. You’ll leave with language you can use, a micro shift you can try, and a way to notice subtle wins — steadier breath, cleaner choices, shorter ruminations — as valid data that your system is learning safety. If you need more structure, we point to our emotional first aid kit and other resources designed for moments just like this. Subscribe, share this with someone who’s stuck at “this won’t work,” and tell us: what tiny step will you try today?
The contents of this podcast are for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. If you have a specific health concern or condition, please consult a qualified Healthcare professional for more details. Check out herguru dot uk forward slash disclaimers
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Work Stress Anxiety by ABGW is part of HerGuru Hypnotherapy and Coaching™ and grounded in the ABGW Method®.
Calm first. Reality first. Then change.™
Connect with Cheryl Paris
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/cherylparis/
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/abgwblog
Disclaimer:
https://herguru.uk/disclaimers/
Shared stories are anonymised.
This podcast is provided for educational and reflective purposes only and does not constitute medical, psychologica...
Hi, and welcome back to Amazing Brilliant Gorgeous Wonderful. This is episode three in this mini series, and today's thought: this won't work for me. Now, when you say this won't work,
Naming The “This Won’t Work” Thought
SPEAKER_01in my experience, it usually means I can't afford the fallout. And I understand, you know, it's it's not negativity,
Safety, Cost, And The Nervous System
SPEAKER_01it's that your nervous system is in a state where it's scanning for safety. So we're not trying to change things here or change how our nervous system is working. We're
Micro Shifts Over Massive Change
SPEAKER_01looking at uh whether we can start looking at different options. I mean, think of it like a choppy bit of water, you're not calming the sea, what you're doing
The Rotary Phone Volume Dial Metaphor
SPEAKER_01is you'll stop swallowing it. Yeah. So a micro shift might be to notice the internal thoughts and feelings that come up. Maybe it's a self-blaming voice. Um, and like what I would want you to do is imagine, you know, remember those old-fashioned telephones where you had to turn the dial, put your finger in and turn the dial.
SPEAKER_00I want you to imagine one of those.
SPEAKER_01And what I want you to do is imagine just turning down the sound a little bit, maybe 20%, not muting it, just turning it down, and then asking what's the smallest interpretation that keeps me affected.
One Trying Action And Boundaries
SPEAKER_00One trying action today.
SPEAKER_01Don't explain yourself, over explain it to yourself. If needed, use the line. I've answered that.
SPEAKER_00If there's new information, tell me.
SPEAKER_01Okay, that's it for today. In the next episode, we'll name the fear underneath everything. What if I get blamed? Now, if something in today's episode landed with you, even quietly, that matters, and you don't need
Gentle Reflection And Resources
SPEAKER_01to do anything dramatic with it. Just want you to notice it, just notice what you can notice. And if you feel like any extra support, remember that on the website there's the emotional first day kit as well as other resources on the results page. It's there for moments exactly like this where you need you know, where you need to take a pause. Okay, so as you go about your business today, I want you to remember every step you take, no matter how small, is a step towards a brighter, more balanced future. So you can trust in your journey and remember progress is progress no matter the pace.
Encouragement And Closing
SPEAKER_01Bye for now.