How to manage and reduce stress
Stress is both natural and familiar – it’s something we all experience from time to time. In moderation, a small amount of stress can help us feel motivated and complete tasks. However, when stress is too intense or lasts for a long time, it can affect our day-to-day life and even our physical and mental health.
You may not be able to avoid stress, but there are ways to manage it before it becomes overwhelming.
Our guide explains the ins and outs of stress and techniques to help you manage and reduce your stress.
What is stress and how does it affect everyday life?
What is stress?
Stress is a natural, human response to situations that feel difficult to manage or out of our control. It might be a feeling of pressure in response to a heavy workload, or overwhelm after an argument with a loved one. It could also be the thoughts that keep you awake at night when worrying about money.
Yes, stress affects us all – sometimes in very different ways. However, stress can become overwhelming if we deem the situation to be unmanageable, creating various emotional and physical challenges that can vary in strength from person to person.
How can stress affect your everyday life?
Stress is like carrying a heavy backpack; at first, we don’t notice its burden and keep pushing forward. But, over time, as more items are added to the bag – such as responsibilities and worries – the load becomes heavier and increasingly difficult to manage.
So, if we don’t figure out how to deal with stress, it can affect our everyday life through how it affects our physical and mental health, relationships, and ability to complete everyday tasks.
The effects of stress on the body can be triggered by the release of hormones which allow us to deal with pressures or threats. Continued release of these hormones over a long time can cause physical symptoms of stress such as:
* Headaches
* Muscle tension
* Racing heartbeat
* Stomach upset
Alongside these physical symptoms of stress, you may also experience common behavioural and emotional symptoms. These are:
* Difficulty concentrating
* Forgetfulness
* Feeling overwhelmed
* Constant worry
* Irritability and mood swings
* Sleep changes
* Changes to eating habits
* Using unhealthy habits (like smoking or drinking)
These are just some of the common symptoms of stress – it’s not an exhaustive list. Plus, symptoms of stress can vary depending on what’s causing it.
What causes stress?
Many different situations can cause stress, and this can change depending on our age. For instance, stress in teenagers may be caused by exams, bullying, or difficult family situations. In comparison, young and older adults may struggle with stress relating to employment or significant events like becoming a parent and managing long-term health conditions.
However, in general, the following are some of the most common causes of stress:
. Relationships: For example, arguments, family difficulties, illness, and bereavement can all contribute to stress and affect the way you think, feel, and behave. Our healthy relationships guide can help support you if you’re experiencing stress in relationships.
. Work-life balance: For example, feeling a lack of control over your job, needing to continually work harder and for longer, worries about unemployment, and not feeling rewarded for hard work can all contribute to stress at work. Find out more about supporting your mental health at work.
. Money: Money and debt concerns are placing huge pressure on many of us, especially with the high cost of living. Many people are struggling to pay bills and grocery prices, contributing to stress and mental health difficulties. There is financial support available for money concerns if this is an issue for you.
. Smoking, drinking, and drug use: When stressed, we may feel tempted to turn to alcohol, nicotine, or other recreational drugs to help us cope. However, drugs such as alcohol can have a depressant effect, so, when they wear off, can make us feel worse. In some cases, people may start to consume them in larger doses to maintain the initial sense of relief. However, this can lead to dependence and worsen stress.
It’s important to note that these are not the only causes of stress. If you or someone you know is struggling with stress, it may be due to any one of these factors, or it may be something else entirely.
How can I manage my stress?
As mentioned, stress is a natural response to problems or threats. In fact, our bodies are designed to cope with stress in effective ways. However, stress can become a problem when we don’t experience any relief or ‘downtime’.
As long-term stress can be damaging to our mental and physical health, it’s important to know how to reduce stress through daily coping skills. Let’s explore some tips for stress relief.
Understand when stress is causing you a problem
Understanding when stress is causing you a problem is the first step in recognising how it’s affecting your life and ways to take proactive stress management steps. By doing so, you can intervene before it leads to problems for mental and physical health.
To understand when stress is causing you a problem, try to connect your feelings or physical signs with the pressures you’re facing in your life. Remember to look out for the physical warnings, such as tense muscles, over-tiredness, headaches or migraines, as well as emotional signs like irritability and forgetfulness.
Identify the causes of your stress
Stress can be caused by one big issue or a build-up of many small ones. However, not understanding the causes of your stress can make it harder for you to manage as you could feel overwhelmed.
Once you notice feelings of stress in your body or mind, try to pause for a moment. What happened right before you noticed these feelings? Tracking your physical and mental sensations of stress over a couple of days or weeks can help you pinpoint where they’re coming from and where in your life you could make changes.
Consider your lifestyle habits
Think about whether there are any stressors related to your lifestyle, like your work or relationships. There will likely be things you can and can’t control. For the things you can’t control, think about if there are changes that could reduce their effect.
Making major life changes can be an additional source of stress in the short term, but they could improve your health and well-being in the long run.
Aside from removing stressors you can’t control from your life, you could also try to reduce daily pressures by passing over tasks to someone else when necessary or prioritising important tasks instead of trying to take on everything at once.
Move your body regularly
Physical activity is one of the best stress-relief activities as it can be very effective in improving your overall wellbeing. It can also give you a natural energy boost and improve your focus and motivation. Even short bursts of activities like walking round the block or dancing in the kitchen can help. Check out our helpful resource on how to find moments for movement every day.
Get restful sleep
Sleep problems are common when you’re struggling with stress, and can even make the symptoms of stress worse. Therefore, it’s important to try to get adequate rest for dealing with burnout caused by stress.
Keep a healthy diet
Certain foods can improve mood, balance hormones, and boost energy levels, so eating healthily can protect you from the physical and emotional demands of stress.
Aim to drink plenty of water and eat a mineral and vitamin-rich diet of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, complex carbohydrates, lean proteins, and omega-3 fatty
acids to help support your body during times of stress.
Be kind to yourself
When you’re struggling with stress, it’s easy to get into a negative headspace, thinking hurtful things about yourself. In these moments, try to remind yourself that you’re not at fault. Stress has an intense effect on all of us, and it’s important to be kind to yourself.
Maintain a routine
When elements of our lives seem unmanageable, routines can give us a sense of control. Sticking to a daily pattern of sleeping, eating, and exercising within reason can help you fight the effects of stress.
Shift work or freelancing can make it difficult to maintain a routine. Read our tips to help.
Practice regular self-care
Meaningful self-care has many mental, physical, and emotional benefits that can help people manage stress. Self-care can mean something different to everyone, so try to choose activities that are most relevant to you.
For instance, taking time just to relax, seeing friends, going for a walk or a bike ride, or watching your favourite TV series again – as long as the activity makes you feel good, that’s all that matters.
Be aware of your smoking and drinking
Although alcohol and nicotine may feel like they provide momentary relief, alcohol is a depressant and nicotine creates cravings, and both can contribute to mental health problems in the short and long term.
Be mindful
Mindfulness for stress management is a simple tool that can be practised anywhere, at any time. Research has suggested that mindfulness meditation can also reduce the effects of stress-related problems such as anxiety, insomnia, poor concentration and low moods.
Further reading and resources
It’s okay to ask for professional help if you feel that you’re struggling to manage stress on your own. It’s important to get help as soon as possible so you can begin to get better.
Often, the first step to getting support is speaking to your GP. They should be able to give you advice about treatment and may refer you to another local professional. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and mindfulness-based approaches are known to help reduce stress. Additionally, there are voluntary organisations which can help you tackle the causes of stress and advise you about ways to get better.
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