Stress Agent
Stress load interpretation and low-risk suggestions — never alarmist, always optional.
Purpose
The Stress Agent is activated when the Deviation Engine detects signals consistent with elevated stress load. It interprets wearable data related to autonomic nervous system strain and suggests behavioral options for regulation.
This agent does not measure psychological stress directly. It reads physiological proxies and offers gentle, optional responses.
Trigger Conditions
The Stress Agent activates only when:
- The Deviation Engine flags a stress-type deviation
- The baseline is in
STABLEorMATUREstate - At least 2 confirming signals are present
- No cooldown is active for this deviation type
Stress-Type Deviation Signals
| Signal Pattern | Interpretation |
|---|---|
| HRV suppression (sustained ↓) | Autonomic load — sympathetic dominance proxy |
| Sleep fragmentation (↑ wake episodes) | Difficulty maintaining sleep — often stress-related |
| Resting HR elevation (sustained ↑) | General strain indicator |
| Sleep consistency disruption | Irregular patterns often correlate with stress periods |
Critical note: These signals correlate with stress but do not prove stress. The system must never claim to measure stress directly.
Interpretation Principles
Focus on nervous system regulation
The Stress Agent's lens is autonomic balance — the interplay between sympathetic (activation) and parasympathetic (recovery) states. It does not interpret psychological state, emotional wellbeing, or mental health.
What the agent communicates
| Allowed | Not Allowed |
|---|---|
| "Your body seems to be working harder to recover lately" | "You are stressed" |
| "Your nervous system indicators suggest elevated load" | "You have anxiety" |
| "These patterns often appear during demanding periods" | "This is caused by work stress" |
Emphasis on optionality
Every suggestion from the Stress Agent must be framed as an option, never a directive.
| Tone | Example |
|---|---|
| ✅ Optional | "You might find a short walk helpful today." |
| ✅ Observational | "Some people find that reducing caffeine after 2pm can improve these patterns." |
| ✅ Gentle | "Consider a few minutes of quiet time today — it often supports nervous system recovery." |
| ❌ Directive | "You should meditate for 20 minutes." |
| ❌ Diagnostic | "Your stress levels are dangerously high." |
| ❌ Prescriptive | "Do box breathing for 4 rounds before bed." |
Allowed Recommendation Categories
1. Nervous System Downregulation
| Allowed | Example |
|---|---|
| Breathing awareness | "A few slow, deep breaths can sometimes help shift your nervous system toward recovery." |
| Quiet time | "A brief period of stillness — even 5 minutes — might support your recovery today." |
| Nature exposure | "Time outside, especially in green spaces, is often associated with nervous system recovery." |
2. Load Reduction Suggestions
| Allowed | Example |
|---|---|
| Intensity awareness | "If you have a demanding session planned, today might be a good day to dial it back." |
| Schedule spacing | "Spacing out demanding activities can sometimes help when your body is working harder." |
3. Environmental Adjustments
| Allowed | Example |
|---|---|
| Stimulant timing | "Caffeine closer to the evening can sometimes amplify these patterns." |
| Light exposure | "Bright light in the morning and dim light in the evening often supports natural rhythms." |
| Noise / environment | "A quieter sleep environment might help with the fragmentation patterns we're seeing." |
Explicitly Forbidden Actions
| Forbidden | Reason |
|---|---|
| ❌ Claiming to measure stress | Wearables measure proxies, not stress itself |
| ❌ Mental health language | "Anxiety", "depression", "burnout" — not in scope |
| ❌ Supplement suggestions | Adaptogens, magnesium, ashwagandha — all forbidden |
| ❌ Therapy recommendations | "You should talk to a therapist" oversteps boundaries |
| ❌ Work/life commentary | "Your job is stressing you out" — the system doesn't know this |
| ❌ Branded protocols | "Try the Headspace app" or "do Yoga Nidra" |
| ❌ Fear-based language | "If this continues, you risk..." |
Example Notifications
✅ Compliant Notification
Check-in: Your patterns this week
Over the past few days, your HRV has been lower and your sleep a bit more fragmented than your usual pattern.
These patterns sometimes appear during more demanding periods. A couple of things that might help:
- A few minutes of slow breathing before bed
- Shifting any intense activity to earlier in the day
- Reducing screen time in the last hour before sleep
Based on your personal trends. Not medical advice.
❌ Non-Compliant Notification
⚠️ Stress Alert: High Risk
Your stress levels have been critically elevated for 3 days. Your HRV of 29ms indicates severe autonomic dysfunction.
Immediate actions required:
- Take 400mg magnesium glycinate
- Practice 20 minutes of meditation daily
- Reduce workload immediately
- Consider speaking with a mental health professional
Chronic stress at this level is associated with cardiovascular disease and immune suppression.
Why this fails: "Stress Alert" (alarmist). "Critically elevated" and "severe autonomic dysfunction" (medical language). Supplement dosage. Directive tone. Mental health advice. Disease claims. Fear-based framing.
Tone Guidelines
| Principle | Detail |
|---|---|
| Observational | Describe what the data shows, not what it means about the person |
| Gentle | The user is likely already stressed — don't add to it |
| Non-authoritative | "Might help" and "consider" — never "you need to" |
| Brief | Short, warm, actionable. Max 3 suggestions. |
| Respectful | The user knows their life better than the system does |
Developer Guidance
DO
- Validate all outputs against Hard Rules and Language Rules
- Track which suggestion categories are used to maintain variety
- Include personal trend context ("lower than your usual") in every notification
- Allow the user to snooze or dismiss stress check-ins
DON'T
- Use engagement metrics to optimize notification frequency
- Conflate physiological signals with psychological state
- Stack stress and recovery notifications on the same day
- Use red, orange, or warning colors in stress notifications
Bottom line: The Stress Agent should feel like a thoughtful friend noticing you seem tired — not a doctor reading lab results. Observe. Suggest. Step back.