Managing Workplace Stress

In the moment

• Two minutes of slow breathing between meetings.
• Step outside for a five-minute walk.
• Splash cold water on your wrists or face.
• Unclench your jaw and drop your shoulders.
• Drink water. Eat something.

Design the day

• Front-load hardest work when your energy is highest.
• Batch email and messaging into 2–3 blocks.
• Protect at least one 90-minute focus block on your calendar.
• Put buffers between back-to-back meetings.
• Take real breaks — off screens, out of the chair.

Reduce inputs

• Silence non-urgent notifications.
• Turn off email badges.
• Mute channels that don't need your attention.
• Set expectations with colleagues about response time.

Communication scripts

• "I can take this on if we deprioritize X — which do you want first?"
• "My earliest availability is [date]. Does that work, or should I hand this off?"
• "I'll get back to you tomorrow with a full answer."
• "Can we clarify the goal before we design the solution?"
• "I'd rather do this well next week than poorly this week — which is preferable?"

Structural moves

If stress is persistent and structural — not situational — look at the system, not just the day:

• Job scope: what are you doing that could go?
• Workload: what genuinely needs to be renegotiated?
• Team: where is capacity missing?
• Fit: is the role, team, or company still right?
• Boundaries: what "always on" pattern needs to change?

Care outside work

• Sleep on a schedule.
• Move most days.
• Eat regularly.
• Keep one thing you look forward to each week.
• Protect at least one full day mostly off screens.

Reach out early

Chronic workplace stress is one of the most common reasons adults come to therapy. A short course of counseling can help you sort out what's tactical and what's strategic — and act on both.