Stress Management Guide | Relief, Relaxation & Resilience

🧘 Stress

When you are under stress, your muscles tighten, your heart beats faster, your breathing becomes rapid and shallow, and your brain becomes more alert. In small doses, stress can improve your performance, but if excessive or prolonged it can harm your health.

You may suffer from poor appetite, headaches, migraines, difficulty sleeping, and increased susceptibility to infections. You may also feel anxious, irritable, unable to concentrate, tired, sad, or depressed. Stress tends to build up when the normal pressures of life become too much for you, or may be triggered by an upsetting event such as a death.

✨ What you can do yourself

  • Get adequate sleep; if you are tired you are more likely to feel stressed.
  • Eat regularly to keep your energy levels constant during the day. Never miss breakfast. Include fresh fruit, cereal, whole-grain bread, pasta, and rice in your diet. Cut down on foods such as cheese, eggs, red meat, and butter that are high in fat. Reduce your intake of sugar and salt.
  • Cut down on or cut out caffeine by limiting your intake of coffee, tea, cola, and chocolate.
  • Get regular exercise, especially if you have a sedentary job. Exercise produces "feel-good" chemicals in the brain that increase your sense of well-being. Try 15–30 minutes of brisk walking, or go swimming or bicycling.
  • Set aside a regular time each day specifically for relaxation: do not wait until you feel exhausted. Go for a regular walk; listen to music; or try meditation or yoga.
  • Imagine that you are in a place where you feel warm, relaxed, and comfortable, such as lying on a sunny beach. Try to imagine all the colors, sounds, smells, and feelings.
  • When you are in the middle of a stressful situation, try to have a few minutes alone. Go for a brisk walk or sit somewhere quiet to help you relax.
  • If your muscles have become tense, try to relax them regularly.
  • Try to control self-criticism. To counteract it, remind yourself of your good points and the successes you have had in the past.
  • Don't bottle up your worries; it usually helps to share problems with family members and friends.
  • Don't try a short-term "fix" by turning to alcohol or illegal drugs. In the long term they will only add to your problems.

🫁 Practical technique · Deep breathing

Step-by-step deep breathing exercise

  1. Wear loose clothing and sit or lie in a comfortable position. Place one hand on your chest and the other on your abdomen. Breathe in slowly through your nose, hold your breath for a moment, then breathe out slowly. Try to breathe using your abdominal muscles so the lower hand moves more than the upper one.
  2. Once you know that you are breathing from your abdomen, place your hands just below your ribs. Feel your hands move as your abdomen rises and falls. When you feel more relaxed, let your hands drop down by your sides and simply enjoy the relaxation.

💪 Practical technique · Relaxing muscles

Progressive muscle relaxation

  1. To prepare for the exercise, be aware of how your muscles feel in their relaxed state and when they are tense. Try to imagine the tension fading away as you relax each muscle.
  2. Yawn, then relax. Clench your jaw, and release. Frown, scrunch up your eyes and nose, then let go. Raise your eyebrows, then relax all the muscles in your face.
  3. Lift your shoulders up to your ears. Hold for a few seconds, then lower again. Repeat 2–3 times. To free the neck muscles, rock your head gently from side to side.
  4. Tense and relax your stomach muscles, then each buttock in turn. Clench and release your right fist, then all the muscles in your arm. Repeat the process with your left arm.
  5. Tense the muscles in your right foot, hold for a few seconds, then release. Tense and release the calf, then the thigh muscles. Repeat the process with the left foot and leg.

🛡️ Prevention · Limiting stress

📝 Self-awareness

Track your triggers

Over 2–3 weeks, make a note of the situations in which you felt under stress. Think about how you might have responded differently to feel more in control.

🎯 Acceptance

Let go of control

Accept that there are some things you can't control, such as traffic delays on the way to work.

⏰ Prioritize

Organize your time

Organize and prioritize your time. Anticipate deadlines and reduce your other commitments around these times.

✂️ Break it down

Smaller steps

Identify tasks and break them into smaller sections if they seem too big to manage all at once.

🎯 Realistic goals

Know your limits

Have realistic expectations. Don't commit yourself to tasks that you feel unable to do or don't want to do.

🌿 Take breaks

Rest throughout the day

Take regular breaks throughout the day, even if it is only to look out the window. Have lunch breaks.

🩺 Seek medical advice

📅 Arrange to see your doctor if: you feel unable to cope with stress, or you feel depressed.

💡 Remember: Small, consistent changes — like deep breathing, regular exercise, and talking about your worries — can significantly reduce stress over time. Be patient and kind to yourself.

© Stress Management Guide — Breathe, relax, and take one step at a time. If stress feels overwhelming, reach out to a healthcare professional.
Scroll to Top