Managing Energy Levels for Leaders — How to Stay at the Top of Your Game Without Burning Out
Most leaders lead a daily life that appears calm on the surface: meetings, Teams chats, strategic decisions, and interactions with people.
Yet inside, they experience constant fluctuations between pressure and heightened tension.
Many people can relate to this:
It's hard to relax between meetings
My concentration fluctuates throughout the day
My thoughts keep spinning after the workday
In the evening, my body won't settle down, even though my mind wants it to
I haven't recovered yet
This isn’t because they’re a “bad leader” or because their “calendar is too full.”
The deeper reason has to do with how the nervous system works: they haven’t been taught how to regulate their arousal levels.
State of alertness – the foundation upon which leadership is built
Arousal refers to the level of nervous system activation.
It can be thought of as three distinct levels:
Hypovigilance: too low a level of focus and awareness
Optimal alertness: the nervous system is awake, and attention is sharp yet controlled
Overstimulation: excessive arousal → restlessness, agitation, irritability, overexcitement
At an optimal level of alertness, thinking flows smoothly, decisions are sound, and interactions are calm yet sharp.
A leader’s work—even if it appears static from the outside—is so cognitively and emotionally demanding that the optimal state of alertness is often one of healthy activation, not lethargy.
Flow state
Flow occurs within an optimal state of arousal, when the nervous system is functioning at a high but controlled level. The level of difficulty determines where within this range flow occurs: the more challenging the task, the closer the state of arousal rises to the upper limit of the optimal range. Managers’ work often consists of precisely these kinds of situations, so their flow state is naturally very close to the threshold of overexcitement—and therefore also prone to being exceeded.
The Leader's Paradox: The Same Situation Can Lead to Peak Performance or Burnout
A high but controlled level of alertness enables clear thinking, deep focus, and smooth performance. This is precisely the state in which a leader often makes their best decisions.
However, because your arousal level is already high, even a small additional strain—such as stress, sleep deprivation, emotional stress, or a hectic schedule—can push your nervous system from a state of flow into overstimulation. In this case, concentration begins to falter, emotional sensitivity increases, decision-making becomes more impulsive, and recovery slows down.
This applies particularly to leaders with ADHD traits: they enter a state of flow more easily than average, but the line between that state and hyperactivity is often even thinner for them.
Basic needs: why ignoring them causes the nervous system to drift away from its optimal state
When we're in a hurry, the very things that regulate our nervous system are the first to go:
breaks
nutrition
movement
a clear end to the workday
a soothing evening routine
When these are missing, a predictable sequence of events occurs:
energy levels are rising toward overexcitement
Sleep and recovery are impaired
the nervous system becomes more sensitive to stress
my energy levels start swinging from one extreme to the other
Flows are still being generated—but they cost more
The manager begins to live each day in a state of "too much or too little."
Ways to regulate alertness
Regulating your arousal level is a skill.
Here are some concise, practical ways to bring your nervous system back to its optimal state—whether you’re feeling overstimulated or understimulated.
When you're revving too high (too many RPMs)
First aid: breathing
1. Breathing – the fastest way to calm your nerves
A slow, deep exhalation activates the parasympathetic nervous system in a matter of seconds.
4 seconds
6–8 seconds out
8–12 repetitions
This is the most physiologically effective way to quickly lower your heart rate.
2. Gentle aerobic exercise
Walking, light cycling, or slow rowing naturally deepen your breathing and calm your nervous system.
3. Nutrition that balances nervous system reactivity
regular meals
protein at every meal
A fiber-rich evening snack → improves sleep and calms the nervous system
less caffeine in the afternoon
4. A clear end to the workday + evening routine
Routines help calm the nervous system and prevent you from staying in a state of hyperarousal all evening.
When you're running at low RPM (too low)
The best first aid: movement
1. Movement
A short, light movement quickly increases activation:
walking
climbing the stairs
Warm up thoroughly for 2–3 minutes
warm-up-style movement
2. Regular meals
Low energy levels often occur when blood sugar drops: a steady intake of energy helps maintain a steady energy level.
3. Light and environmental changes
Bright light, going outside, or a change of scenery can quickly boost your energy levels.
Summary
Leadership may appear calm on the surface, but from a neurological perspective, it is one of the most demanding activities.
An optimal state of alertness is not a permanent condition, but rather a place we return to many times a day—through small actions and routines.
When a leader learns:
to recognize their own energy level
to reduce hyperactivity through breathing and gentle movement
to raise the sub-tension with a light pull
to meet their basic needs through routines
Performance, presence, and recovery will change permanently.
Regulating the nervous system is not a “soft topic.”
It is a leader’s most important toolkit: the ability to choose the right tone for the right situation—time and time again.
Kasper Kortelainen, Peak Performance Coach at Epitome
