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Feeling stressed? These 5 top tips will help you to regain a feeling of relaxation, focus and control over your personal and professional life.

1. Stay Organised

When there is lots going on it can be useful to make lists to keep track of all the jobs which need to be done. However, having one long list which you are continually adding to can feel overwhelming and impossible, making things feel far more stressful than they really need to be. Dividing your tasks up into smaller subcategories and then placing the jobs within each ‘sub-list’ in order of priority, using an app such as Trello, can make things feel much more manageable and allows you to prioritise and organise your thoughts and projects in a clear, logical way.  

2. Take a moment…

In times of stress, it is always a good idea to stop what you’re doing and take some time to look at the bigger picture – ask yourself: ‘How important is this in the grand scheme of things?’ ‘Is this worth my stressing about?’ ‘Can I change this situation?’ Always try to acknowledge the times when you are feeling stressed about something that you cannot change – this is a natural response, but remember that it is an unproductive use of your time and energy. Try to accept the things you cannot change and allow yourself time to think about the best way to approach the things that you can.

3. Look after yourself

In busy periods, when there is lots to do, it is more important than ever to maintain a healthy lifestyle, ensuring that you are nourishing your body with a balanced diet, staying hydrated and getting plenty of sleep. Finding time during your day to exercise will not only help keep you in shape and improve your sleep quality but can also help to relieve some of the muscle tension associated with stress. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle and avoiding reliance on caffeine, nicotine and alcohol will leave you feeling much more alert and productive.

4. Learn to say ‘No’!

For many of us, particularly in the workplace, having to say ‘no’ to somebody is an uncomfortable feeling. Perhaps we feel defeated, we want to prove ourselves and we define our success by our ability to say ‘yes’ to each and every opportunity that comes our way. However, setting boundaries and learning when it is acceptable to say ‘no’ is one of the most important skills in both personal and professional life. Take the time to think about whether saying ‘yes’ to something is going to overwhelm you, decide whether there are other things you need - or want - to prioritise, and feel confident in giving a firm and authoritative answer.

5. Talk to somebody

Whether a friend, colleague, family member or counsellor, having a conversation with somebody can be an effective way of easing feelings of stress or anxiety. You may want to talk about something unrelated to distract you from stressful thoughts, or perhaps release some of the built-up tension by discussing what’s on your mind.

Our clients have found that counselling gives them more of an understanding of how their body copes in times of stress, equipping them with the tools to better handle whatever challenges they may be faced with.  

You don’t need to be referred by a GP to access our services, if you need somebody to listen to you and offer some support, apply for counselling here.