Everyone from Greenwich knows it’s a lovely town with many amenities and beauty. But also, a certain level of success is both the norm and expectation.
Isabelle Shook, MC, NBCC, LPC, SEP, NARM, BCC
Isabelle Shook, a licensed professional counselor in Connecticut and Arizona via Telehealth, grew up in Greenwich and sees the town as having a unique culture.
“I grew up in that culture, and I can relate to the pressure and desiring to succeed,” she said. “It’s a culture within the culture of New England.”
And while some stress is healthy, and the internet is full of admirable compassion and empathy, constant self-imposed pressure can rob us of positive emotions, especially self-compassion and joy.
“When we live in heightened stress consistently or chronically, it can be foreign and uncomfortable to our nervous system to be in joyful, connected states and even be present at the moment,” she explained.
“When we live in constant stress, our neurobiology naturally keeps us out of the present moment and holds our mind in the past or the future. That’s how we miss the opportunity to enjoy the present and experience joy now.”
She explained that when something is so overwhelming to a person’s nervous system that they’re stressed for days, weeks, or even years, that experience can be over-generalized into all areas of their lives, and nothing is fun anymore.
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