What I Shared in Forbes About Ambient Stress — And Why It Matters for High-Achieving Women
This past August, I was honored to be featured in Forbes in an article about ambient stress — the subtle, constant tension that slowly drains your energy and leaves you feeling stuck in fight-or-flight mode.
As I shared in the article, ambient stress is like your phone battery quietly running down from too many background apps. It doesn’t feel like a major “crisis,” but over time it wears you out — and for high-achieving women already juggling careers, relationships, and impossible standards, it can be the tipping point into burnout, anxiety, and emotional exhaustion.
What Is Ambient Stress?
Ambient stress is the low-level stress you may not even notice until your body forces you to. Unlike acute stress (think deadlines or emergencies), ambient stress builds slowly through:
Constant digital overload
Multitasking and overcommitting
Clutter, noise, and overstimulation
Perfectionism and social comparison
Emotional suppression and fawning in relationships
For women with a trauma history, these subtle stressors can feel even heavier. Your nervous system may already be wired for hypervigilance, which makes the background noise of stress feel impossible to shut off.
Why High-Achieving Women Are More Vulnerable
In my Los Angeles therapy practice, I see this pattern often: ambitious, successful women who are “doing it all” but secretly feel depleted, anxious, and disconnected.
Here’s why:
Perfectionism turns every to-do into a high-stakes performance.
Codependency or people-pleasing makes you take on more than your share at work and in relationships.
Toxic relationships keep you second-guessing yourself and walking on eggshells.
Unhealed trauma keeps your body in a baseline of chronic stress as your brain continues to operate in fight-flight-freeze aka survival mode, making it difficult to be present.
Ambient stress doesn’t just make you tired. Over time, it chips away at your resilience, leading to burnout, panic attacks, emotional numbness, and even chronic health issues.
Somatic Tools to Manage Ambient Stress
In the Forbes piece, I shared some of the somatic tools I use with clients to break the cycle of stress:
Micro-breaks: Just 60 seconds to breathe, stretch, or do a quick body scan can reset your nervous system.
Set sensory boundaries: Reduce background noise, harsh lighting, and digital clutter. Your body needs calm spaces to down-regulate.
Gentle movement: Walking, stretching, yoga, or tai chi help release built-up tension.
Vocalization: Humming, sighing, or singing stimulate the vagus nerve and help your body feel calmer.
Make time for joy: Even one small moment a day that isn’t about productivity can help rebalance your nervous system.
Why This Matters for Your Healing
Ambient stress may sound “minor,” but its effects run deep — especially for women who already feel like they can’t slow down without everything falling apart. Healing isn’t about eliminating stress entirely; it’s about teaching your body how to return to calm, connection, and safety.
This is where therapy comes in. Approaches like Somatic Experiencing, EMDR, and Internal Family Systems (IFS) can help you:
Release stored trauma that keeps your body in stress mode
Stop people-pleasing and over-functioning to earn love or approval
Reconnect with your authentic self instead of living in constant performance mode
Ready to Begin?
If you’re tired of feeling “on edge” all the time and want to finally heal the deeper roots of anxiety, perfectionism, or burnout, I’d love to support you.
📍 I offer in-person therapy in Los Angeles and virtual therapy across California.
👉 Book a free consultation here
🔗 In Case You Missed It:
You can read the original Forbes article here: What Is Ambient Stress? And How to Tackle It
📥 Free Resource: Am I a People Pleaser? Workbook
Many of my clients struggling with ambient stress also notice they’re caught in people-pleasing patterns — saying yes when they mean no, taking on too much, or losing trust in themselves.
That’s why I created a free workbook, “Am I a People Pleaser?” You’ll also find it in the footer of my site — it’s filled with reflective prompts to help you understand your patterns and start building healthier boundaries.
📍 I offer anxiety, trauma & relationship therapy in West Los Angeles and virtually throughout California. Book a free 15-minute consultation here.
Chloe Bean is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist practicing West LA, California. She integrates Somatic Experiencing, IFS Therapy, and EMDR with traditional therapeutic approaches to support comprehensive healing from trauma, anxiety, burnout, body image issues, disordered eating, perfectionism, breakups, and toxic relationships.
Frequently Asked Questions About Ambient Stress & Therapy
How do I know if my stress is “ambient” or something more serious?
Ambient stress feels like a constant background hum of tension — you might notice jaw clenching, trouble sleeping, or always feeling “on edge.” If you’re experiencing panic attacks, severe burnout, or chronic anxiety, it’s a sign your body needs more support than quick fixes.
Can therapy help with ambient stress?
Yes. Trauma-informed therapy approaches like Somatic Experiencing, EMDR, and Internal Family Systems (IFS) go beyond surface-level coping strategies. They help your nervous system reset, so you’re not stuck in fight-flight-freeze every day.
Why do high-achieving women struggle so much with stress?
Because success doesn’t cancel out trauma or nervous system dysregulation. In fact, perfectionism, overfunctioning, and people-pleasing often mask deeper stress patterns. Therapy helps you stop performing for safety and start reconnecting with your true self.
What’s the difference between somatic therapy, EMDR, and IFS?
Somatic therapy helps you release trauma through the body.
EMDR reprocesses overwhelming memories so they no longer trigger your nervous system.
IFS helps you heal the inner “parts” of you that protect, fawn, or overachieve.
Together, these approaches help you calm your body, rewire your patterns, and build lasting resilience.