Chronic, uninterrupted stress builds up allostatic load — a physical wear-and-tear on your body that acts like a parking brake on your nervous system. It drains your energy, blocks your ability to focus, and degrades your performance over time.
The problem isn't stress itself. Stress is the stimulus that makes you stronger. The problem is never fully discharging it — living in the gray zone where you're half-working, half-resting, and never fully doing either.
To perform at your peak without burning out, you have to oscillate — ruthlessly alternate between periods of 100% exertion and 100% disconnected recovery. Not moderate effort followed by moderate rest. Full on, then full off.
By making deep rest an equal part of your routine, you expand your biological energy capacity and raise the ceiling on what you can achieve. Recovery isn't the absence of work. It's the other half of performance.