If you don't have time to volunteer, try to do someone a favour every day. It can be something as small as helping someone cross the road or going on a coffee run for colleagues.

Find out more about giving for mental wellbeing. Working smarter means prioritising your work, concentrating on the tasks that'll make a real difference. Leave the least important tasks to last.

Accept that you will not have time for everything. Try writing down 3 things that went well, or for which you're grateful, at the end of every day.

In this audio guide, a doctor helps you to replace negative thoughts with more positive thinking. Changing a difficult situation isn't always possible. Try to concentrate on the things you do have control over. For example, if your company is making redundancies, you could focus on the things that you can control, such as looking for a new job.

In this audio guide, a doctor explains what you can do to give yourself the best chance of a good night's sleep. Page last reviewed: 9 September Next review due: 9 September Home Mental health Self-help Guides, tools and activities Back to Guides, tools and activities.

What you can do to address stress Try these 10 stress-busting suggestions: Be active Exercise won't make your stress disappear, but it can reduce some of the emotional intensity that you're feeling, clearing your thoughts and letting you deal with your problems more calmly.

Get started with exercise Take control If you think you cannot do anything about your problem, your stress can get worse. Connect with people A good support network of colleagues, friends and family can ease your work troubles and help you see things in a different way.

The activities we do with friends can help us relax and relieve stress. Have some "me time" Many of us work long hours, meaning we often don't spend enough time doing things we really enjoy. It's important to take some time for socialising, relaxation or exercise.

Challenge yourself Setting yourself goals and challenges, whether at work or outside, such as learning a new language or a new sport, can help build confidence.

It can also make you want to do things and be active. Avoid unhealthy habits Don't rely on alcohol, smoking and caffeine as your ways of coping. It's best to tackle the cause of your stress.

Help other people Evidence shows that people who help others, through activities such as volunteering or community work, often become more resilient. Everyone feels and responds to stress differently. Tracking your stress may help. Get a notebook, and write down when something makes you feel stressed.

Then write how you reacted and what you did to deal with the stress. Tracking your stress can help you find out what is causing your stress and how much stress you feel. Then you can take steps to reduce the stress or handle it better.

Stress is a fact of life for most people. You may not be able to get rid of stress, but you can look for ways to lower it. Sometimes stress is just too much to handle alone. Talking to a friend or family member may help, but you may also want to see a counsellor.

You will feel better if you can find ways to get stress out of your system. The best ways to relieve stress are different for each person.

Try some of these ideas to see which ones work for you:. Health Tools help you make wise health decisions or take action to improve your health. A lot of things can cause stress.

You may feel stress when you go on a job interview, take a test, or run a race. These kinds of short-term stress are normal. Long-term chronic stress is caused by stressful situations or events that last over a long period of time, like problems at work or conflicts in your family. Over time, chronic stress can lead to severe health problems.

You may need help dealing with stress if you have faced a life-threatening or traumatic event such as sexual assault rape , a natural disaster, or war. These events can cause acute stress disorder or post-traumatic stress disorder PTSD.

For more information, see the topic Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Stress causes changes in your body. It also affects your emotions. An extreme reaction to stress is a panic attack. A panic attack is a sudden, intense fear or anxiety that may make you feel short of breath, dizzy, or make your heart pound.

People who have panic attacks may feel out of control, like they are having a heart attack, or are about to die.

Panic attacks may happen with no clear cause, but they can be brought on by living with high levels of stress for a long time. For more information on panic attacks, see the topic Panic Attacks and Panic Disorder.

You might notice signs of stress in the way you think, act, and feel. You may:. How stress affects you depends on many things, such as:. Stress can affect you both instantly acute stress and over time chronic stress.

Acute short-term stress is the body's instant response to any situation that seems demanding or dangerous. Your stress level depends on how intense the stress is, how long it lasts, and how you cope with the situation.

Most of the time, your body recovers quickly from acute stress. But stress can cause problems if it happens too often or if your body doesn't have a chance to recover. In people with heart problems, acute stress can trigger an abnormal heartbeat arrhythmia or even a heart attack.

Chronic long-term stress is caused by stressful situations or events that last over a long period of time. This could include having a difficult job or dealing with a chronic disease. If you already have a health problem, stress can make it worse.

Feeling stress is a fact of life for most people. But it affects everyone differently. What causes stress for you may not be stressful for someone else. That's because how you view a situation affects how much stress it causes you. Only you can figure out whether you have too much stress in your life.

Ask yourself these questions to find out what is causing your stress:. Stress can be caused by an ongoing personal situation such as:. Life changes such as getting married, moving to a new city, or losing a job can all be stressful. You can't always control these things, but you can control how you respond to them.

Some people feel stress because their beliefs conflict with the way they are living their life. Examine your beliefs , such as your values and life goals, to find out if you have this kind of conflict in your life. Your lifestyle choices can prevent your body from recovering from stress.

For example, as you sleep, your body recovers from the stresses of the day. If you're not getting enough sleep or your sleep is often interrupted, you lose the chance to recover from stress.

The way you act and behave can also be a sign of stress. Some people who face a lot of stress react by smoking, drinking too much alcohol, eating poorly, or not exercising. The health risks posed by these habits are made even worse by stress.

Your body feels stress-related wear and tear in two ways: the stress itself and the unhealthy ways you respond to it. The best way to manage your stress is to learn healthy coping strategies.

You can start practicing these tips right away. Try one or two until you find a few that work for you. Practice these techniques until they become habits you turn to when you feel stress. You can also use this coping strategies form to see how you respond to stress.

Stress-relief techniques focus on relaxing your mind and your body. You might like to try a combination of these techniques. In addition to practicing these skills, you might also try some other techniques to reduce stress , such as massage or music therapy.

Stress is a part of life, and you can't always avoid it. But you can try to avoid situations that can cause it, and you can control how you respond to it. The first step is knowing your own coping strategies.

Try tracking your stress to record stressful events, your response to them, and how you coped. After you know what is causing your stress, try making some changes in your life that will help you avoid stressful situations.

Here are a few ideas:. Time management is a way to find the time for more of the things you want and need to do. It helps you decide which things are urgent and which can wait.

Managing your time can make your life easier, less stressful, and more meaningful. The choices you make about the way you live affect your stress level. Your lifestyle may not cause stress on its own, but it can prevent your body from recovering from it. Try to:.

Support in your life from family, friends, and your community has a big impact on how you experience stress. Having support in your life can help you stay healthy. Support means having the love, trust, and advice of others.

But support can also be something more concrete, like time or money. It can be hard to ask for help. But doing so doesn't mean you're weak. If you're feeling stressed, you can look for support from:.

Stressful events can make you feel bad about yourself. You might start focusing on only the bad and not the good in a situation. That's called negative thinking. It can make you feel afraid, insecure, depressed, or anxious. It's also common to feel a lack of control or self-worth.

Negative thinking can trigger your body's stress response , just as a real threat does. Dealing with these negative thoughts and the way you see things can help reduce stress. You can learn these techniques on your own, or you can get help from a counsellor. Here are some ideas:.

If you're ready to reduce stress in your life, setting a goal may help. Try following these three steps:. Stress can be hard to deal with on your own.

It's okay to seek help if you need it. Talk with your doctor about the stress you're feeling and how it affects you. A professional counsellor or other health professional can help you find ways to reduce stress symptoms. He or she can also help you think about ways to reduce stress in your life.

A counsellor or health professional is useful for:. You may need treatment for other emotional problems related to stress, such as anxiety , depression , or insomnia. Treatment may include medicines or professional counselling. Author: Healthwise Staff Medical Review: Kathleen Romito MD - Family Medicine Donald Sproule MDCM, CCFP - Family Medicine Christine R.

Maldonado PhD - Behavioral Health Adam Husney MD - Family Medicine Steven Locke MD - Psychiatry. Author: Healthwise Staff. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor.

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FIND Services and Resources. Breadcrumb Home Search Health Topics Stress Management. Print Feedback Email a link. Stress Management. Topic Contents Topic Overview Health Tools Causes of Stress Effects of Stress Measuring Stress Ways to Relieve Stress Ways to Avoid Stress Setting a Goal to Reduce Stress If You Need More Help Related Information Credits.

Topic Overview What happens when you are stressed? What can you do about stress? To get stress under control: Find out what is causing stress in your life.

Look for ways to reduce the amount of stress in your life. Learn healthy ways to relieve stress and reduce its harmful effects. How do you measure your stress level?

How can you avoid stress? You might try some of these ideas: Learn better ways to manage your time. You may get more done with less stress if you make a schedule. Think about which things are most important, and do those first. Find better ways to cope. Look at how you have been dealing with stress.

Be honest about what works and what does not. Think about other things that might work better. Take good care of yourself. Get plenty of rest. Eat well. Don't smoke. Limit how much alcohol you drink. Try out new ways of thinking.

When you find yourself starting to worry, try to stop the thoughts. Or write down your worries and work on letting go of things you cannot change. Learn to say "no. Not being able to talk about your needs and concerns creates stress and can make negative feelings worse.

Assertive communication can help you express how you feel in a thoughtful, tactful way. Ask for help. People who have a strong network of family and friends manage stress better. How can you relieve stress? Try some of these ideas to see which ones work for you: Exercise.

Regular exercise is one of the best ways to manage stress. Walking is a great way to get started. It can help to write about the things that are bothering you. Let your feelings out. Talk, laugh, cry, and express anger when you need to with someone you trust.

Do something you enjoy. A hobby can help you relax. Volunteer work or work that helps others can be a great stress reliever. Learn ways to relax your body.

This can include breathing exercises, muscle relaxation exercises, massage, aromatherapy, yoga, or relaxing exercises like tai chi and qi gong.

Focus on the present. Try meditation and imagery exercises. Listen to relaxing music. Try to look for the humour in life.