We all carry “rules” about stress—keep going, push through, don’t complain. Some came from our parents, teachers, bosses, or even our own inner critic. They worked in the world we first learned them: school, early jobs, where effort was measurable and mistakes were punished. But life today moves faster, demands more, and throws curveballs we weren’t taught to handle. Following those old rules often leaves us burned out, exhausted, and blaming ourselves. It doesn’t have to be