I've Been Driving Too Fast and So Have You

I have always known stress was part of my life.

What I didn’t realize was how much of it had become chronic.

The reason I missed it is that it never felt like stress.

It felt like focus, engagement, and just getting things done. 

I noticed a similar pattern in many of my patients.

When I asked whether they felt stressed, the answer was often no.

Yet they could relate to racing thoughts, interrupted sleep, and a persistent sense of urgency.

I could relate to that too.

I could be sitting quietly while my mind moved to the next task or the next problem. 

I started noticing small clues.

The way I sat at meals, leaning forward as if I needed to leave at any moment.

My preference for intense workouts over slower forms of movement.

The way stillness sometimes felt less comfortable than motion, often causing me to fidget. 

What finally caught my attention was that these patterns persisted even during calmer seasons.

The workload would change, but the speed would not.

That was the first hint that something deeper might be driving it.

Wednesday: If adrenaline is the gas pedal, what keeps pressing it?

The Mechanism

Last week we explored adrenaline as the gas pedal.

This week we need to ask what keeps pressing it.

Part of the answer is dopamine.

Most people know dopamine as the brain’s reward chemical.

It helps us learn, create, build careers, raise families, and pursue meaningful goals.

Dopamine does NOT determine whether you move fast or slow.

It helps determine what you move toward.

Some of history’s most creative and prolific scientists, inventors, and artists were deeply driven.

They pursued difficult questions for years, sometimes decades.

They weren’t fueled by constant adrenaline-driven speed.

They had the ability to stay focused on something meaningful for a very long time.

Their foot was on the gas pedal, but they weren’t speeding.

They could read the road, recognize important signals, and move steadily toward a destination.

Modern life often looks very different.

There is always another email to answer, project to complete, or fire to put out. 

Many of us spend our days accelerating from one thing to the next without a clear destination.

We are moving fast, but not always moving intentionally.

Over time, the nervous system becomes accustomed to living in a constant state of pursuit.

Many people begin to experience this as normal.

If you ask whether they’re stressed, they’ll often say no.

They see themselves as responsible, productive, and fully engaged in life.

This is one reason chronic stress can be difficult to recognize.

The foot remains on the pedal even when there is no real emergency.

The body continues consuming fuel and generating heat as if high demand is still present.

This overheated state we call inflammation drains energy and affects health and performance. 

Speed stops feeling like speed.

It starts feeling like your normal operating mode.

The Tool

For doers, the initial weeks of this program can be a challenge. 

Doers want the tools and the to-do list of how to improve health and energy, RIGHT NOW. 

I promise we’ll get there.

But after years of working with high performers, I’ve learned a key lesson.

The ones who succeeded the most in all areas of life sharpened their internal awareness first. 

Awareness-driven performers make better decisions and waste less time.

They become calmer and seem to move slower, but they get more of the right work done. 

On that note, I’m asking you to do the following:

Before each Power Pulse check-in this week, ask yourself one additional question.

Am I in doing mode or being mode right now?

Doing mode is focused on what comes next.

Being mode is fully present with what is already here.

Neither state is right or wrong. 

Clearly we need both modes to function in daily life. 

Instead notice how often the pull toward doing is present, even without urgency. 

How doing hijacks critical moments of being.

Those moments where you might be connecting with someone else or doing deep work. 

For now, just notice your speed and the impulse to repeatedly push the gas pedal. 

Reflection

Many people expect chronic stress to feel dramatic.

They expect anxiety, overwhelm, or a sense that something is wrong.

What makes this form of stress different is that it often feels productive.

It can feel like responsibility, engagement, and staying on top of things.

This week wasn’t about eliminating that drive, but instead simply noticing it.

As you review your Power Pulse check-ins, think about the moments between tasks, meetings, and responsibilities.

Were there times when your body was still but your mind was already moving ahead?

Did speed show up in places you hadn’t noticed before?

For many people, the first breakthrough isn’t changing anything.

It’s recognizing that what felt normal may actually be a pattern.

Next week: Why your energy system follows a daily rhythm whether you pay attention to it or not.