Navigating Turbulence: How Accounting Professionals Can Actually Reduce Stress — Not Just Manage It

By any measure, stress has become a defining feature of the accounting profession. Tight deadlines, regulatory complexity, staffing shortages, and ever-evolving client expectations mean even the most experienced CPAs feel the pressure. At the 2026 VSCPA Ignite conference, organizational psychologist Dr. Rachel Boehm challenged attendees to rethink stress — not as something to simply “manage,” but as a process they can actively reshape.

Her message was clear: reducing stress isn’t about escaping it. It’s about understanding it, reframing it, and responding differently in the moments that matter most.

“Stress is not a feeling. It is not an emotion. It is a process.”

Stress is actually a physiological and psychological chain reaction initiated by how the brain interprets events. At its core, the brain is a prediction machine that constantly scans for signals and categorizes them as threat or opportunity. When the brain perceives a threat (even something as routine as work tasks), it triggers a stress response in milliseconds.

Stress doesn’t just come from workload but also from interpretation. Once the response is triggered, we begin telling ourselves a story about what’s happening. Over time, these stories become patterns that reinforce stress.

If you want to reduce stress, you have to change the story.

Stress affects how others experience you. Strengths often flip into weaknesses under pressure: detail-oriented professionals may micromanage, while collaborative team members may become reactive. Stress is also contagious, spreading quickly across teams.

Not all stress is the same. Chronic pressure stems from long hours and sustained workload. Strategic pressure comes from growth and new challenges, while reactive pressure stems from unexpected issues and crises. Each requires a different response.

“You cannot bring logic to an emotional gunfight.”

Rather than abstract advice, Boehm offered practical tools like:

1. Take micro-breaks of 20 seconds to five minutes to reset energy.
2. Recall a past win to rebuild confidence during moments of self-doubt.
3. Use grounding techniques to regain clarity in reactive situations.

Recognizing the moment is critical. Professionals need personal triggers, such as a phrase, habit or visual cue, to signal when stress is rising and prompt a reset.

Beyond individual stress management, curiosity is a key leadership skill. Asking thoughtful questions instead of making assumptions helps teams move forward and builds trust.

“Find the opportunity, not the threat.”

Ultimately, stress is inevitable, but interpretation is flexible and response is controllable. By shifting perspective and applying targeted tools, CPAs can reduce stress and improve decision-making, leadership effectiveness and resilience.

Boehm encourages CPAs to commit to one tool, decide how they will use it, and define why it matters. Without intentional follow-through, even the best strategies can be lost in the next wave of deadlines and demands.