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Strategies to Manage Stress
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Stress is something we all deal with, but when it starts to feel overwhelming, it can take a toll on your wellbeing, work, and daily life. When you’re juggling deadlines, managing responsibilities, or just trying to keep up with life’s demands, stress can creep in and make everything feel harder.
At PMAC, we understand how workplace pressures can affect your mental health. That’s why we’re here to share practical strategies for managing stress more effectively.
Small changes can make a big difference, and by taking steps to look after your mental wellbeing, you can create a healthier, more balanced approach to work and life.
Let’s explore some simple but effective ways to ease stress and build resilience.
What Causes Stress? Recognising Your Triggers
Stress isn’t always easy to pin down. Sometimes, you know exactly what’s causing it—an urgent deadline, a difficult conversation, or a packed schedule. Other times, it builds up quietly, leaving you feeling overwhelmed without knowing why. The first step in identifying strategies to manage stress is understanding what’s triggering it.
Common Workplace Stressors
Your job plays a big role in your overall stress levels, and certain pressures at work can make it harder to stay calm and focused. Some of the most common workplace-related stressors include:
• Heavy workload and tight deadlines – Feeling like there’s too much to do and not enough time can quickly lead to burnout.
• Lack of control – When you have little say over your workload, deadlines, or responsibilities, it can create frustration and anxiety.
• Workplace culture and relationships – A lack of support, poor communication, or workplace conflicts can add unnecessary pressure.
• Job insecurity – Uncertainty about your job stability can lead to ongoing stress and worry.
• Work-life imbalance – Struggling to switch off after work or feeling like you’re always “on” can leave you exhausted.
Personal Stress Triggers
Work isn’t the only source of stress. Challenges in your personal life can also have a big impact on your mental wellbeing. Some common personal stressors include:
• Financial worries – Money concerns can be one of the biggest sources of anxiety.
• Health concerns – Whether it’s your own health or worrying about a loved one, health-related stress can feel overwhelming.
• Family and relationships – Conflicts, responsibilities, or caring for others can be emotionally draining.
• Major life changes – Moving house, having a baby, or even positive changes like starting a new job can cause stress.
How to Identify Your Stress Triggers
Sometimes, stress is obvious. Other times, it’s more subtle, building up over time until it feels unmanageable. Keeping a stress journal or simply taking a moment to reflect when you feel overwhelmed can help you notice patterns. Ask yourself:
• What was happening when I started feeling stressed?
• Was there a particular situation, person, or thought that triggered it?
• Is this something that happens regularly?
By recognising what’s causing your stress, you can take helpful steps to manage it more effectively
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The Difference Between Short-Term and Long-Term Stress
Stress happens to everyone. But not all stress is the same. Some stress comes and goes quickly, while other stress sticks around and wears you down. Knowing the difference can help you manage it better.
Acute Stress: The Quick Burst
This is the kind of stress you feel when you’re rushing to meet a deadline or dealing with a sudden problem. Your heart races, your breathing speeds up, and your muscles tense. This is your body’s way of helping you react fast.
In small doses, short-term stress can be useful. It gives you a boost of focus and energy. But if it happens too often without a break, it can leave you feeling drained. Simple things like deep breathing, stretching, or stepping away for a few minutes can help your body reset.
Chronic Stress: The Ongoing Struggle
Chronic, long-term stress is different. It builds up over time and doesn’t go away easily. It’s often caused by work pressure, money worries, or ongoing personal problems. Instead of a quick burst of adrenaline, your body stays in stress mode for weeks or months.
This can lead to constant tiredness, trouble sleeping, mood swings, and even physical health problems. Research shows that 74% of UK adults have felt so stressed in the past year that they felt overwhelmed or unable to cope.
If stress is sticking around, it’s time to make changes. Setting clear boundaries at work, making time for exercise, and learning to switch off properly in the evenings can make a big difference.
Short-term stress is normal. But when stress becomes a daily struggle, it can take a toll on your mental and physical health. Noticing the signs early and taking small steps to manage it can help you feel more in control.
Simple and Effective Strategies for Managing Stress
Now it’s time for the fun part—exploring the helpful steps you can take to manage your stress. We acknowledge that while a little stress can be helpful sometimes, small changes are the key to making sure that it doesn’t take over your life.
1. Focus on What You Can Control
Not everything is in your hands, but some things are. Make a to-do list, break big tasks into smaller steps, and tackle what you can. Let go of what’s outside your control.
The Control, Influence, Accept (CIA) Method helps you focus on what’s actually in your hands. It’s a simple way to stop wasting energy on the uncontrollable and take action where it matters. Here’s how it works:
Control: What’s in Your Hands?
Some things are fully within your control. Putting your energy here helps you feel more in charge and less stressed.
Manage your time – Set priorities and stick to them.
Set boundaries – Protect your mental space and say no when needed.
Use stress-busting techniques – Deep breathing and short breaks help keep you grounded.
Be prepared – Plan for meetings, deadlines, or presentations in advance.
Choose your response – You can’t control every challenge, but you can control how you react.
Influence: Where Can You Make a Difference?
Some situations aren’t fully in your control, but you can still have an impact. Instead of stressing over the outcome, focus on what you can do.
Support others – Offer help, advice, or encouragement.
Speak up – Share concerns or suggestions with decision-makers.
Push for positive change – Suggest new ways to work more efficiently or improve well-being.
Learn and grow – Get advice from mentors, upskill, or seek feedback.
Accept: Letting Go of What You Can’t Change
Some things are simply out of your hands. Holding onto them only adds unnecessary stress. Letting go doesn’t mean you don’t care—it means you’re choosing peace over frustration.
• Other people’s opinions or actions
• Decisions made by senior leadership
• Unexpected events like economic shifts or industry changes
• Past mistakes or situations that can’t be undone
Using the CIA Method can help you stop stressing over things you wish you could change and start focusing on what you can do. The more you practice it, the easier it becomes to manage stress and feel more in control of your life.
2. Take Short Breaks
Pushing through stress won’t help—you need pauses to recharge. Step outside, stretch, grab a coffee, or just close your eyes for a minute. Short breaks can stop stress from building up.
3. Move and Relax Your Body
Exercise is one of the best ways to relieve built-up stress. Activities like cycling, yoga, running, or even just stretching can help reset your nervous system by releasing endorphins—the “feel-good” chemicals in your brain.
Even short movement breaks throughout the day, like a quick walk or having a little dance in your kitchen, can help clear your mind and boost your mood. It’s amazing for signalling to your body that it’s safe and that the stress response can end.
Another great technique is progressive muscle relaxation.
This technique involves tensing and then releasing muscle groups in sequence to ease physical stress. You start at your feet and work your way up to your head, consciously relaxing each muscle group. By doing this, you help release the physical tension that builds up during stressful moments, and it can make you feel more in control of how your body responds to pressure.
4. Breathe Properly
When stress hits your breathing often gets shallow. Deep breathing is one of the simplest yet most powerful ways to calm your body. Controlled breathing helps activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which reduces tension and promotes relaxation.
Techniques like box breathing—where you breathe in for four seconds, hold for four, exhale for four, and pause for four—are great for bringing your heart rate down and helping you think more clearly. Diaphragmatic breathing (breathing deeply from your belly rather than shallow chest breathing) also a great strategy to manage stress and brings a sense of calm.
5. Eat Well and Stay Hydrated
Skipping meals or living on caffeine and sugar can make stress worse. Keep some healthy snacks on hand, drink water, and aim for balanced meals to keep your energy steady.
How to Build Long-Term Resilience Against Stress
Reframing helps you shift your perspective so stress feels less overwhelming. Instead of seeing it as a threat, you can view it as a challenge you can handle. Here’s how to do that in three key areas.
1. Reframing Stress
Reframing helps you shift your perspective so stress feels less overwhelming. Instead of seeing it as a threat, you can view it as a challenge you can handle. Here’s how to do that in three key areas.
Reframing the Challenge
Stress kicks in when something feels too big to handle. But what if you looked at challenges differently?
• It’s temporary – Most stressful situations don’t last forever.
• It’s an opportunity – Tough moments can help you build skills and confidence.
• It’s a puzzle, not a roadblock – Seeing problems as things to solve makes them feel less intimidating.
When you change the way you look at a challenge, it starts to feel more manageable.
Reframing Your Ability to Cope
What you tell yourself in stressful moments matters. If you think, “I can’t handle this,” stress takes over. But if you remind yourself of past successes, your brain starts believing in you.
• Think about what you’ve overcome before – You’ve handled hard things before, and you can do it again.
• Focus on your strengths – You have skills, knowledge, and support to get through this.
• Break it down – Big tasks feel smaller when you take them step by step.
Believing in yourself can lower stress levels and make challenges feel less scary.
Reframing the Stress Response Itself
When you feel your heart race or your muscles tense up, it’s easy to panic. But what if you saw those reactions differently?
• Your body is helping you – That surge of energy is actually getting you ready to focus and perform.
• It’s not dangerous – Stress reactions are normal and don’t mean something is wrong.
• You can use it – Athletes and performers use stress to sharpen their focus—you can too.
When you stop seeing stress as the enemy, it loses some of its power.
2. Set Boundaries & Manage Your Time Better
Stress can make everything feel urgent, leading to overwhelm and procrastination. When your mind is racing, it’s easy to jump between tasks without making real progress. Knowing how to prioritise can help you stay focused and in control.
The Eisenhower Matrix is a simple tool that helps you sort tasks into four categories:
• Urgent and important – Do these first.
• Important but not urgent – Schedule time for these so they don’t become last-minute emergencies.
• Urgent but not important – Delegate if possible.
• Neither urgent nor important – Let these go.
When stress builds up, big tasks can feel impossible. Breaking them into smaller steps makes them more manageable. The 80/20 rule (Pareto Principle) can help—focus on the 20% of tasks that will give you 80% of the results. This stops you from wasting energy on things that don’t really matter.
Realistic deadlines also make a huge difference. If you pack too much into your schedule, stress will only get worse. Leaving some buffer time for unexpected challenges can help you stay flexible. Task lists, digital planners, and time-blocking techniques can keep priorities clear and reduce decision fatigue.
Saying no is another key skill. When you’re already stretched thin, taking on extra work just adds pressure. Setting boundaries and being upfront about your workload can stop stress from piling up.
3. Get Enough Sleep
Poor sleep makes stress feel ten times worse. Aim for a regular bedtime, avoid screens before bed, and create a relaxing evening routine. This way, you’ll be able to tackle any stress that comes at you the following day.
4. Stay Connected
Social connection can help more than you think. Whether it’s friends, family, or colleagues, having support makes tough times easier to handle.
Spending time with others, chatting, laughing, and even hugging someone can activate your body’s relaxation response. These positive interactions help release the built-up tension and reassure you that things are okay.
5. Find a Way to Switch Off
Your brain needs downtime. So, engage in activities that give you peace.
Creative activities like writing, colouring, gardening, or playing music can help you process emotions and let you move past stress. Doing something you enjoy ensures you feel more grounded and prevents stress from sticking around longer than it needs to.
6. Take Care of Your Mental Health
If stress is constant and overwhelming, getting help is a strength, not a weakness. A chat with a professional or mental health training at work can be life-changing.
You can also get into mindfulness and meditation. Mindfulness techniques are all about focusing on the present moment. They help stop your mind from spiralling into worry and anxiety. Simple mindfulness practices like a few minutes of focused breathing, body scans, or guided meditation can break the stress cycle and improve your concentration.
These practices teach you how to gently bring your attention back to the here and now, rather than getting lost in past or future worries.
Final Thoughts
Stress is a part of life, but it doesn’t have to take over. Small, simple strategies for managing stress—like focusing on what you can control, reframing challenges, and setting clear priorities—can make a big difference. The key is to find what works for you and make it a regular habit.
If stress is affecting your wellbeing or work performance, you don’t have to manage it alone. Support and practical strategies can help you feel more in control, both in and out of the workplace.
At PMAC, we provide workplace stress management training designed to give businesses and employees the tools they need to address stress in the healthiest ways. Our training sessions are practical, engaging, and tailored to real-world challenges.
If your team could benefit from expert guidance on stress management, get in touch with us today. A healthier, more balanced workplace starts with the right support.
Originally published: 16/01/2023
Last updated: 12/03/2025