6 strategies to manage stress

It’s normal to feel stressed. Work worries, family tension and health concerns can all lead to feelings of stress. But if it persists, it can be hard to get out of a negative mindset and that can lead to physical and mental health issues.

Your mindset is like your internal compass. It’s responsible for how you think about the world and yourself. It plays a crucial role in shaping your life, affecting how you perceive situations, make decisions and react to events, influencing your interactions with others and your overall productivity.

A healthy mindset can empower you to achieve your goals, while a negative one can hold you back. Research suggests that shifting your mindset to a more positive state can have major benefits for your health and help you manage stress.¹

Managing your stress levels and your response to stress is vital for good physical and mental health.

Chronic stress can be bad for your health and is a risk factor for:²

• Anxiety.
• Depression.
• Digestive problems.
• Headaches.
• Muscle tension and pain.
• Heart disease, heart attack, high blood pressure and stroke.
• Sleep problems.
• Weight gain.
• Problems with memory and focus.

Reducing the amount of stress in your life, plus having some tools to manage stress, can help keep you healthy and happy.

With some effort and intention it's possible to develop tools that can help you improve your mindset and gain more control over how stress affects you. Here are 6 strategies to help you get started.

The 4 As framework³ can help you approach stress in a methodical way.

A is for avoid, to reduce stress where you can and avoid any situation that might increase negative thoughts and feelings.

A is for alter or change the way you communicate to set boundaries with others. Be clear about what you can and cannot do, and don’t always say yes just because someone asks.

A is for accept, as knowing and accepting what we can and can’t control can help take the power out of stressful feelings.

A is for adapt, as stress will come no matter what we do. Adapting your reactions to stress and letting go of perfectionism can help relieve you of too much self-applied pressure.

Anticipating events or situations likely to cause stress can help you prepare for what’s to come and reduce your reaction. Role-playing scenarios in your head or with a close friend can help decrease any uncertainty you feel about how you might react. This builds confidence to take more control and not let stress take over.

Studies show that writing down the things that are causing you to stress can reduce mental distress, support your coping abilities and encourage you to reach out to others for additional support.⁴

Exercise can be a great stress reliever. In fact, daily physical activity is as effective for mild depression as antidepressants.⁵ Aim for 30 minutes a day of moderate exercise, such as brisk walking, jogging, cycling, or dancing. If 30 minutes is too tough to fit in, break it up into 10-minute bursts. It all counts.

You can improve your mindset and decrease stress by surrounding yourself with people who uplift, inspire and support you.⁶ Seek out positive people who embody the mindset you wish to adopt. After all, positivity is infectious.

In the same way, limit your exposure to negative people and to news and social media that fuel negative thinking. This might include being more mindful about what you look at on social media.

Spending all your time at work or doing things for others can increase your feelings of overwhelm and stress. Dedicate some time each day to yourself by doing something you find relaxing and fun. It might be a 10-minute meditation each morning before work, listening to a podcast or your favourite album during a walking lunch, or watching a funny movie in the evening.

Your GP is a great place to start if you want extra support and advice about how to reduce your stress and help manage your stress response.

They may encourage you to make lifestyle changes, such as avoiding smoking and alcohol and eating a well-balanced diet.^7,8

They may also suggest seeing a mental health professional to talk about how you’re feeling.