Is That Stress Right for You?

(❁´◡`❁) Let’s talk about stress not just the kind that tightens your shoulders, but the kind that tightens relationships.

We live in a world that rewards hustle, performance, and image. But when it comes to relationships, love, leadership and yes, heart health not all stress is created equal. Some stress builds character. Some stress breaks connection. And some stressors quietly wear down the very organ that keeps us alive. So, the real question becomes: Is that stress serving you or slowly undoing you?

Gender Roles vs. Relational Wholeness

Therapists often encourage clients to move beyond rigid gender roles and toward something deeper: wholeness. That means letting go of the belief that men must only be providers or that women must be endlessly nurturing. Instead, ask: Am I showing up with maturity, and emotional integrity?

Let's take a moment to pause here. Because these tips and blogs aren’t always written for others. Sometimes, they are a mirror. And this one made me look closer. I realized I need to pay attention to my own reactions, emotional habits, and how I show up in my relationships. I didn’t plan to go there. But here we are.

A “good leader” whether in a marriage, a family, or a community isn’t defined by gender. I stepped into leadership within our nonprofit while navigating grief. After my husband’s death, some questioned whether I could impact people the way he did. Others assumed I would eventually stop telling our story and raising awareness as though my commitment had an expiration date.

I believe leaders are defined by how they love, how they listen, how they respond, and how they serve. Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first Black president and a man who endured 27 years in prison before leading a nation, once said: “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”

To Your Health, Cynthia Malone