You can be relaxed and dedicated
In the current "hardcore" pivot in tech, the message is clear: you are always behind and you should feel bad about that.
This has caused people to react in predictable ways. Constant anxiety. Speed at all costs. Resignation that they're stuck in the washing machine with no way out.
Anyone who doesn't seem stressed out all the time now appears to be slacking. Not keeping up with the anxiety bandwagon. This seems like a terrible direction, and requiring visible stress from teams is a pretty terrible barometer of a "well-functioning team."
Here's what I know: you can be both relaxed and dedicated to your work at the same time.
Panic doesn't produce better work
The graphical user interface wasn't invented during an all-nighter. The fundamental building blocks of the internet weren't created in a panic. Breakthrough work happens when people have space to think, not when they're running on cortisol and caffeine.
I've watched this play out dozens of times. The person pacing around the office, constantly talking about how "slammed" they are, rarely produces the work that moves things forward. Meanwhile, the person who takes a walk between meetings and asks clarifying questions often delivers the insight everyone needed.
Your stress doesn't signal your commitment
When someone tells me "I know you're busy," I tell them I'm not busy. I have time for what matters. It's the same principle here - your visible anxiety isn't proof you care more than anyone else. It's just proof that you're anxious.
Try walking into your next high-pressure meeting with calm energy instead of frantic energy. See what happens. People engage with the problem instead of reacting to your panic. They follow your lead.
You can create urgency without creating dread. You can take a problem to heart and turn that into clarity instead of chaos.
Just because you worry more doesn't mean you care more.