Many people do not think of themselves as stressed. They are coping. They are functioning. They are working, parenting, organising, and managing. On the surface, they look fine. What they notice instead are smaller things. They cannot switch off. They feel flat. Something feels wrong, but they cannot quite name it. Over time, this state stops standing out. Constant alertness becomes familiar. Effort becomes the background. Stress does not feel acute or dramatic. It feels norm