In a typical day, most of us move from one thing to the next without realising how much stress we’re carrying. We might notice tight shoulders, a racing mind at night, or feeling snappy or flat for no clear reason. These are often signs that our body’s stress response is switched on—and staying on.
Stress is something everyone experiences, and a little stress now and then isn’t necessarily a problem. But when it becomes ongoing or feels hard to switch off from, it can start to affect our focus, energy, sleep, and general wellbeing. The good news is that there are simple, science-based strategies that can help us manage stress more effectively—often in just a few minutes during the day.
In this article, we'll look at what stress is, why modern life keeps triggering it, and how you can support your body and brain with small, practical resets that help you stay steady and well.
What Stress Actually Is
Stress is a natural response to something your brain perceives as difficult, demanding, or threatening. It’s part of the body’s built-in alarm system. When something feels like a challenge, your nervous system activates what’s called the “stress response” or “fight or flight” response. This is mainly driven by the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system.
When this happens, your body releases adrenaline and cortisol—two key stress hormones. Adrenaline increases heart rate and alertness within seconds. Cortisol stays in your system longer, helping you stay focused and ready to act. It also affects how your body uses energy and manages inflammation.
This system works well in short bursts. It helps us concentrate, respond quickly, or get through a tough situation. But if your body keeps activating this system repeatedly without proper recovery, it can wear you down. Chronic stress—stress that sticks around—has been linked to fatigue, anxiety, irritability, headaches, muscle tension, digestive issues, sleep problems, and long-term health conditions.
Understanding the stress response gives us a way to manage it. We don’t need to avoid all stress. We just need better ways to shift our body and brain out of that high-alert state and into recovery mode.
Why Modern Life Keeps Us Stressed
The way we live today constantly triggers our stress response—even when we’re not in danger. Thousands of years ago, stress was usually physical and short-lived, like escaping a threat. These days, the same system is being activated by things like:
-
Emails, messages, and constant notifications
-
Back-to-back meetings or unrealistic deadlines
-
Financial pressure or job uncertainty
-
Traffic, noise, or crowded public spaces
-
Juggling responsibilities at home and work
-
Social comparison on social media
-
Repeated interruptions and lack of focus time
-
Disorganised spaces or digital clutter
These modern stressors are often psychological, but your brain and body respond as if you’re under threat.
Even small things—like having too many tabs open, being interrupted repeatedly, or working in a messy space—can contribute to background stress. These experiences might not feel dramatic, but they add up. And because they don’t go away quickly, they keep our body in a state of low-level stress for long periods.
On top of that, many of us aren’t getting the rest our body needs. After a stressful day, we might scroll on our phones or watch TV. While this feels like rest, it often keeps our brain stimulated. The result is what researchers call “allostatic load”—the gradual wear and tear on the body from being stuck in stress mode too often and for too long. Over time, this can leave us feeling tired, flat, disconnected, or overwhelmed.
What You Can Actually Do About It
We can’t remove every stressor from life, but we can give our body and brain more chances to recover. These strategies are simple, backed by research, and can be done by anyone—even on a busy day.
1. Use Breathing to Reset Your Nervous System
Breathing slowly and intentionally helps shift your body from the sympathetic (stress) response to the parasympathetic (calm) response. This is often called the "rest and digest" system. It slows the heart rate, reduces blood pressure, and signals to your brain that you’re safe.
There are a number of breathing techniques that can help calm the nervous system. Some examples include:
-
Extended exhale breathing: Inhale slowly for a count of four, then exhale even more slowly for a count of six to eight. The longer exhale helps trigger the calming part of the nervous system.
-
Box breathing: Breathe in for a count of four, hold for four, exhale for four, and hold again for four. This creates a rhythm that steadies your breathing and calms your mind.
-
Physiological sigh: This involves taking two short inhales through the nose, followed by a long exhale through the mouth. This technique has been shown in research to quickly lower anxiety and calm the body.
Breathing slowly also gives your brain a task to focus on, which helps interrupt overthinking or rumination.
2. Move Your Body to Change Your State
Movement is one of the most effective ways to discharge built-up stress. Physical activity helps use up excess adrenaline and cortisol. It also boosts the release of mood-enhancing chemicals like endorphins, dopamine, and serotonin.
You don’t need a full workout to see the benefits. Walking briskly for 10 minutes, stretching your arms and back, or even shaking out tension in your shoulders can help. Resistance training, yoga, or any activity that engages the body and gets your heart rate up can also reduce stress and improve sleep.
Movement reminds your body that it’s safe and capable, helping reset your stress response system.
3. Set Boundaries Between Work and Rest
When there’s no clear line between work and personal time, it becomes harder for your brain to shift out of work mode. This is especially common for people working from home or using phones and laptops after hours.
Without a clear signal that the workday has ended, your stress response can stay active well into the evening. That’s why creating transition rituals can make a difference. For example, shutting your laptop, turning off work notifications, changing clothes, going for a walk, or putting on music that marks the shift from work to personal time.
It doesn’t need to be complicated. The key is consistency. Doing the same thing each day at the end of work helps train your brain to switch gears and start winding down.
4. Build in Real Recovery
Recovery doesn’t mean doing nothing—it means giving your brain and body a different kind of input. True rest involves shifting your focus and allowing your nervous system to relax.
This might include:
-
Sitting quietly without a screen
-
Reading for pleasure, especially light fiction or a favourite book
-
Gardening, painting, or doing something with your hands
-
Listening to music or being in nature
-
Letting your mind wander or stare into space
These kinds of activities activate a part of the brain called the default mode network. This network helps with emotional regulation, reflection, memory consolidation, and mental restoration. It often doesn’t get activated when we’re focused on tasks or constantly stimulated by screens.
Even small moments of this kind of rest—five to ten minutes—can reduce the mental load and give your brain a reset.
5. Improve Sleep by Supporting Wind-Down
Sleep and stress are closely connected. High stress makes it harder to fall asleep or stay asleep. Poor sleep makes stress harder to manage the next day. This creates a cycle that can be hard to break.
One of the most effective strategies is to create a regular wind-down routine. This could include:
-
Turning off screens 30–60 minutes before bed
-
Dimming the lights in the house
-
Doing a gentle stretch or slow breathing exercise
-
Writing down anything that’s on your mind
-
Listening to calming audio or sleep tracks
Your sleep environment matters too. Make sure your bedroom is dark, cool, and quiet, and keep devices out of reach if possible. Reducing stimulation before bed helps lower cortisol levels and supports melatonin production, which is the hormone that helps you fall asleep.
Even an extra 20 to 30 minutes more sleep per night can improve mood, focus, and resilience to stress.
6. Reframe Your Thinking When You Feel Overloaded
How we think about stress influences how we feel and how our body responds. When we interpret a situation as overwhelming or threatening, our body reacts accordingly. But when we shift how we interpret the situation, we can lower the intensity of that response.
This process is called cognitive reappraisal. It’s about noticing your automatic thoughts and choosing a more helpful way to view the situation.
For example, if you think, “This is too much, I can’t handle it,” your stress response ramps up. But if you think, “This is challenging, but I’ll work through it one step at a time,” your brain responds more calmly.
You’re not pretending things are fine—you’re choosing a way of thinking that reduces panic and keeps you focused on what you can control. Over time, this skill helps build emotional resilience and keeps the stress response in check.
Putting It All Together
Stress is part of everyday life—but staying in a constant state of stress doesn’t have to be. By understanding how stress works and learning to recognise when it’s showing up, you can use simple strategies to reduce its impact.
Start with something small. Take a few slow breaths. Go for a short walk. Turn off your work emails after hours. Prioritise a quiet moment before bed. These small changes help your body shift out of high alert and give your brain a chance to recover.
