How to Manage Stress

In today’s fast-paced world, stress is an almost inevitable part of life. Whether it’s work deadlines, personal relationships, or health concerns, the pressure can feel overwhelming. We are here to offer effective strategies for understanding and managing stress and below are just a few ways that might help to get you started.

Understanding Stress

Stress isn’t just in your head—it impacts your body, your behavior, and your overall well-being. When left unmanaged, chronic stress can contribute to anxiety, depression, physical illness, and burnout. Fortunately, psychological tools can help break the cycle.

Change the Way You Think

One way to address stress management, is by using cognitive behavioral therapy. CBT focuses on identifying and restructuring unhelpful thought patterns. Stress often arises from distorted thinking—automatic thoughts that exaggerate danger, underestimate your ability to cope, or predict worst-case scenarios.

Common unhelpful thoughts during stress:

• “I’ll never get this all done.”

• “If I fail, everything will fall apart.”

• “I can’t handle this.”

CBT Tools to Try:

1. Thought Record:
   Write down the stressful thought, rate how strongly you believe it, and look for evidence for and against it. Replace it with a more balanced thought.

2. Cognitive Reframing:
   Instead of “I’m going to mess this up,” try “This is difficult, but I’ve managed hard things before.”

3. Problem-Solving:
   Break big problems into smaller steps. Ask yourself: What’s in my control? What’s the next small action I can take?

4. Behavioral Activation:
   Stress often leads to avoidance. Plan one meaningful or enjoyable activity each day to boost mood and motivation.

Make Room for Discomfort

Where CBT challenges thoughts, acceptance and commitment therapy (or ACT) takes a different stance: rather than fighting with stress, it teaches you to accept difficult thoughts and feelings without letting them control your actions.

ACT emphasizes six core processes, but here are some key stress-related tools:

1. Cognitive Defusion:
   Instead of trying to eliminate a stressful thought, learn to unhook from it. For example, if your mind says “I can’t handle this,” try saying, “I’m having the thought that I can’t handle this.”

2. Acceptance:
   Stressful emotions are part of being human. Rather than resisting or suppressing them, practice making room for discomfort with openness and curiosity.

3. Mindfulness:
   Use your breath or senses to ground yourself in the present moment. Notice what’s happening now, rather than replaying the past or forecasting the future.

4. Values-Based Action:
   Ask yourself: What kind of person do I want to be in this moment—even while stressed? Then choose an action that aligns with that value, even if discomfort is present.

Combining the Two: Flexibility is Key

Both ACT and CBT are rooted in psychological flexibility—the ability to adapt, shift perspectives, and take meaningful action even when things are hard.

For example:

• Use CBT to catch exaggerated or catastrophic thoughts that fuel your stress response.

• Use ACT to accept what can’t be controlled and keep moving toward what matters.

Stress is unavoidable—but suffering doesn’t have to be. With tools such as the above, you can respond to stress with clarity, compassion, and confidence.

Need Support?
If you're feeling overwhelmed, consider working with one of our licensed therapist’s who are trained in CBT, ACT. Therapy can help you apply these techniques in real time and build a toolkit that supports your long-term well-being.