Managing Stress and Overwhelm in 2026: Intentional Living and Preventing Burnout
For much of 2025, I lived on the edge of overwhelm. Between keeping a business running, caring for my child, being a partner, travelling to host and teach, creating content, meeting deadlines, and trying to “do it all,” I was constantly teetering between productivity and burnout. Doing all of the things I love but not appreciating or recognizing my true limits.
It recently came to a point I could no longer ignore—and I’m grateful it did. It helped me to pause, reflect, and re-align with intentional living over reaction and opportunistic choices. I began to ask myself: how do I make my life sustainable without sacrificing my health, relationships, or joy? It just so happened that this all came to my awareness at the perfect moment in this yearly cycle to coincide with New Year and new beginning.
Here are some reflections and insights that I fell back on and use time and again when this arises in my life.
Get Clear on What Really Matters to Prevent Burnout
The first step in managing stress and overwhelm is identifying what truly matters to you. For me, it’s holistic health and wellness, a secure income, nurturing relationships, and creating moments of joy. Take time to write down your top priorities and ask yourself: which areas, if nurtured consistently, would create a life that feels grounded and fulfilling?
Identify What Supports Your Wellbeing
Next, notice what strengthens your priorities. For me, it’s consistent self-care, clear boundaries, supportive people, and routines that reduce chaos. Leaning into what supports your energy helps create sustainable balance in daily life. If you want more guidance, the Embodied Path program offers practices and tools to help you learn tools for intentional living and bring clarity to what truly serves you.
Notice What Drains You
Be honest about what is pulling you away from alignment. Overcommitments, toxic relationships, and habits that sap your energy all contribute to overwhelm. Recognizing what drains you allows you to make conscious decisions to reduce stress. Through movement, reflection, and breathing practices in the Embodied Path program, you can begin cultivating balance and reducing stress even in the busiest seasons.
Align Your Energy with Your Priorities
Not all busyness is productive. Focus on the actions, habits, and commitments that create grounding, stability, and clarity. By intentionally allocating energy to what matters, you prevent burnout and increase your capacity to show up fully in life.
Small, Practical Shifts to Reduce Overwhelm
Even the smallest adjustments can create ripple effects:
Wake up earlier for quiet, intentional time
Plan your day ahead to reduce last-minute stress
Say no to commitments that drain your energy
These small, actionable changes make intentional living attainable, even in a busy life. If you’d like structured support in making these shifts, you can join live sessions and workbook exercises through the Embodied Path program—practical tools designed to help you feel supported from the inside out.
Consider the Bigger Picture
Some changes require larger adjustments: career shifts, retraining, restructuring responsibilities, or realigning major life priorities. Break these into manageable steps—what can you do this week, this month, or this year to move closer to your ideal life?
Living on the edge of overwhelm isn’t easy. It’s uncomfortable, humbling, and sometimes frightening. But it can also be transformative. Hitting that edge forced me to pause, reflect, and step back into intention, alignment, and conscious choice.
Sustainability doesn’t come from pushing harder—it comes from clarity, conscious action, and prioritizing what truly matters. Every choice toward alignment is a choice for your wellbeing, your joy, and your capacity to live fully in 2026.
To support this realignment, I’m excited to offer my Embodied Path online program—a series of live sessions and a workbook designed to help you cultivate grounding, stability, and conscious living.
With gratitude,
Dani
