Stress Management Therapy

What is Stress?

Stress is a natural part of life and comes in many forms: emotional, mental, or physical. Occasional stress is usually harmless, and a little stress can even help us get through daily tasks (World Health Organization [WHO], 2026). Stressors can push us to work towards meaningful goals or motivate us out of a bad situation. Moderate levels of stress allow the body and mind to respond at a faster speed. However, when the stressor becomes chronic, it can cause significant mental strain and long-term health problems.

“Stress” is a mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or demanding circumstances (WHO, 2026). Everyone deals with stressful situations at some point in their lives. How we are affected by these stressors depends on how we learn to deal with them and manage our way through the tough times. However, it’s important to note that stress can also develop from within.

Causes of Stress

Because every person is different, everyone perceives and manifests stress in different ways. Work is one of the most common sources of stress. In a 2023 survey, 77% of U.S. workers said they had experienced work-related stress in the past month (American Psychological Association [APA], 2023b). However, anything that causes discomfort can create tension in our lives. Chronic stress and its symptoms arise when the stressor remains, and the body doesn’t have the opportunity to repair itself.

Some common life stressors that can have a significant impact on your health are:

• The death of a loved one
• Divorce
• Loss of a job
• Increase in financial obligations
• Getting married
• Moving to a new home
• Chronic illness or injury
• Emotional problems (depression, anxiety, anger, grief, guilt, low self-esteem)
• Taking care of an elderly or sick family member
• Traumatic event: a natural disaster, theft, rape, or violence against you or a loved one

As mentioned earlier, stress can also come from within. You can mentally stress yourself out by worrying about the future too much. Some ways of thinking that can lead to stress are:

• Fear and uncertainty about the future
• Attitudes and perceptions about your life
• Unrealistic expectations of yourself
• Not adapting to change well

Symptoms of Stress

Stress appears in a variety of ways that differ from person to person. Some of the most common symptoms of early stress include increased blood pressure, increased breathing rate, muscle tension, and a faster heart rate (APA, 2023a).

As the stress continues, additional symptoms can manifest, including:

• Headaches
• Nausea
• Weight gain
• Sleep loss
• Muscle pain
• Cramps
• Digestive issues
• Muscle spasms
• Sweating
• Pain in the back or chest
• Erectile dysfunction and loss of libido
• Lower immunity against diseases
• Nervous twitches
• Pins and needles

Many medical conditions, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and stroke, have been linked to long-term stress (APA, 2023a). Stress does not always cause these conditions, but it can worsen them and raise a person’s risk. The link between stress and cancer is less clear. Lab and animal studies suggest chronic stress may help cancer grow and spread, but the evidence in people is still weak (National Cancer Institute [NCI], 2022).

Stress symptoms such as poor sleep, muscle spasms, and cramps can start within days of a stressful situation. If symptoms persist, don’t wait to seek help (National Institute of Mental Health [NIMH], n.d.). It’s essential to seek professional help as soon as it becomes clear that you have physical symptoms of stress. With stress comes some emotional reactions, as well.

How to Manage Chronic Stress

If you are experiencing any of the symptoms listed above, visit your doctor. You will need to meet with a medical professional or a therapist, depending on your symptoms. A medical professional can rule out any other causes of your symptoms and discuss the types of stressors in your life. Feeling chronically stressed should not be left untreated, especially after stress symptoms appear.

Psychotherapy is a popular method for most emotional issues related to stress. In therapy, a person will examine the deeper issues that could contribute to their stress, such as toxic relationships, internal pressure from negative self-talk, or unresolved conflicts. In most cases, the next stage involves developing a customized plan for addressing problems and reducing stressors.

Sometimes a medical professional must be brought in to address issues such as heart palpitations, sleeplessness, and other physical symptoms.

How to Compartmentalize Your Thoughts to Be Less Stressed

One helpful way of dealing with stress is to compartmentalize: setting boundaries and focusing on one thing at a time. Compartmentalizing is when you separate one area of thought from another. One way of compartmentalizing is leaving any stress caused by work at work when you hang out with your friends. For people with chronic stress, some days can seem so overwhelming that it’s hard to cope with daily responsibilities, focus, or think clearly. Everyone experiences these intense feelings of stress from time to time, and we all have bad days where stressors make it difficult to make it through the day.

With the stress of family issues, working, and the pressures of everyday life, many people can feel like they’re drowning in a sea of stress. It often feels like there is no escape from stress, and not seeing a clear way to reduce the stressors can add to the problem.

Many therapists recommend that, to maintain health and happiness, individuals separate their areas of stress and learn how to use the compartmentalization tool. The question becomes how to disconnect everything and do it effectively to reduce your stress levels, which is a process your therapist can guide you through.

Five stress management techniques used for learning to compartmentalize include:

1. Focusing

People who live with chronic stress are encouraged to become aware of the parts of their life that are causing them stress and to think of each area as a compartment. To keep the mind from overflowing and losing focus, try not to let thoughts jump back and forth from one stressor to the next. When people can take control of their thoughts, they can make decisions without the influence of everything stressing them out.

For example, if they are stressed about their finances and taking care of an elderly parent, they should try to think about one of those stressors at a time. They can set aside time to work on a budget and do financial planning while focusing on that task. When thoughts about other stress areas pop up, they can gently remind themselves to deal with one thing at a time and permit themselves to think about being a caregiver later.

2. Lighten the Load

In today’s fast-paced society, many people get caught up in trying to “do it all.” They may feel like a failure if they can’t keep up with maintaining all the tasks they take on. For many people, the reason for their stress is that they have too much to do. If you are chronically stressed, taking a step back and assessing the areas where you can reduce the burden is essential.

Talking to coworkers and family members about adjusting the way your workload is divided to see if there are ways to lighten your load and reduce some of the stress in your life is an excellent place to start. Limit the number of new tasks or roles you volunteer to take on and ask yourself if you have the time for them before you commit to new projects.

3. Avoid Multitasking

Sometimes it seems impossible not to multitask when your plate is filled with responsibilities. Unfortunately, multitasking is not as effective as we might think. Research shows that switching back and forth between tasks has hidden costs: these brief mental blocks can use up as much as 40% of a person’s productive time (APA, 2006). By focusing on multiple tasks at one time, we are not seeing the benefits we want and instead can be causing more stress in our lives than concentrating on one task or project at a time.

4. Transition

Taking the time to transition slowly from one task to the next relieves us from focusing on our responsibilities all the time. It allows us to put behind a source of stress and enjoy the non-stressful parts of the day. Rather than letting thoughts and actions flow from one activity right into the next, recognize your thought patterns and make it a priority to take a moment before switching to a new task.

People living with chronic stress are encouraged to clear the mind between activities by doing something simple, like taking a walk, meditating, or drinking tea before moving on to the next. Taking mindful breaks allows the body and mind to rest and gives a person a much-needed break from a stressful day. Even when very busy, a few minutes of solitude can significantly reduce stress.

5. Plan

One of the best ways to begin compartmentalization is to write down a plan. As simple as this sounds, taking out a pad of paper and a pen is one of the last things we tend to do when stressed. Write it down, no matter how simple, obvious, or mundane the step may seem. This helps to take what seems like an insurmountable task and break it down into smaller, more manageable pieces that aren’t as daunting. An essential part of planning is to find ways to reward yourself when you reach a goal.

For example, if a project is causing stress at work, write down what it is and the steps you need to take to complete it successfully. Learning how to compartmentalize your stress takes work.

Make a plan to reduce stress:

1. List each part of your life that is creating stress or worry.
2. For each point of tension, write a goal.
3. Once you have set the goal, write down each step you need to take to reduce stress and achieve that goal.

Recognizing the destructive thought patterns and actions that contribute to stress takes practice. Many people seek professional help from trained therapists or psychiatrists to help them learn how to do this effectively.

When to Seek Professional Help for Stress

Since stress is something that everyone experiences, many people believe that they should be able to cope with it on their own, but some people need more assistance than they can provide for themselves. Professional help can be beneficial in giving you an outlet to talk about your stress, identify the leading causes of stress in your life, and learn how to incorporate tools for reducing stress daily.

What Therapy Is Best for Stress?

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has the strongest research support for reducing stress: in a meta-analysis of workplace stress management programs, cognitive behavioral programs produced the largest effects (Richardson & Rothstein, 2008). Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), usually an 8-week course, also lowers stress in healthy adults (Khoury et al., 2015). Many therapists combine these approaches with problem solving and relaxation skills.

Psychotherapy: This type of therapy takes place with a psychologist, psychiatrist, or another type of mental health professional. In psychotherapy, people are encouraged to discover the underlying causes of their stress to learn strategies for improving their quality of life.

Behavior Therapy: There are several types of behavioral therapy. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of the most beneficial ways to deal with stress (Richardson & Rothstein, 2008). In CBT, people are taught to recognize and change negative thought patterns and apply different tools to help them improve their negative self-talk to be more positive (practice self-compassion). For relieving stress, this means people can learn to be less hard on themselves and recognize that it’s okay to reduce some of their burdens without seeing themselves as a failure.

Alternative Therapies: In addition to traditional methods of stress therapy, there are many activities that an individual can do to alleviate their stress. Activities like exercise, yoga, acupuncture, massage, meditation, and social support can be helpful tools for a person with intense anxiety or pressure.

What to Expect in Stress Management Therapy

The first session or two usually focus on understanding your stress. Your therapist will ask what is going on at work, at home and in your relationships, how stress shows up in your body, sleep and mood, and what you already do to cope. You may be asked to keep a simple stress log for a week, noting what happened, what you thought and felt, and how you responded, so patterns become easier to see.

From there, therapy moves to skills. In cognitive behavioral programs for stress, the most common building blocks are learning how stress affects the body and mind, relaxation skills such as slow breathing, problem solving, and noticing and changing stressful thoughts, such as “I have to do it all myself” (Svärdman et al., 2022). These programs work well, including when they are delivered online (Svärdman et al., 2022).

If you’re in crisis or thinking about suicide, call or text 988 (US and Canada), or see our crisis helplines for other countries.

Find a Therapist for Help with Stress

People can learn to relieve stress and live more enjoyable lives with treatment. Search TherapyTribe for a psychologist or mental health counselor specializing in stress management. TherapyTribe can connect individuals with therapists online or with professionals near their homes.

Stress Management FAQs

What are the 4 A’s of stress management?

The 4 A’s are avoid, alter, adapt and accept (Conway, 2021). Avoid stressors you can reasonably skip, such as taking on too much; alter situations by stating your needs and limits clearly; adapt by adjusting your standards or looking at the problem from a new angle; and accept what you cannot change, ideally by talking it through with someone you trust.

Can stress management help with sleep?

It can. Stress and sleep affect each other: stress can make it harder to fall or stay asleep, and poor sleep can make stress harder to handle the next day. Relaxation skills, a wind-down routine and setting aside worry time earlier in the day can help. If sleep problems continue, ask about cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I).

How many sessions of stress management therapy do I need?

It depends on what is driving your stress. Many structured programs are short; mindfulness-based stress reduction, for example, is usually an 8-week course (Khoury et al., 2015). If stress is tied to larger issues, such as trauma, depression or relationship problems, therapy may take longer. Your therapist can suggest a plan after the first one or two sessions.

This article is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

References

American Psychological Association. (2006, March 20). Multitasking: Switching costs. https://www.apa.org/topics/research/multitasking

American Psychological Association. (2023a, March 8). Stress effects on the body. https://www.apa.org/topics/stress/body

American Psychological Association. (2023b). 2023 Work in America survey: Workplaces as engines of psychological health and well-being. https://www.apa.org/pubs/reports/work-in-america/2023-workplace-health-well-being

Conway, A. (2021, March 8). The 4 A’s of stress relief. Mayo Clinic Health System. https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/the-4-as-of-stress-relief

Khoury, B., Sharma, M., Rush, S. E., & Fournier, C. (2015). Mindfulness-based stress reduction for healthy individuals: A meta-analysis. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 78(6), 519–528. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2015.03.009

National Cancer Institute. (2022, October 21). Psychological stress and cancer. https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/coping/feelings/stress-fact-sheet

National Institute of Mental Health. (n.d.). I’m so stressed out! Fact sheet (NIH Publication No. 20-MH-8125). https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/so-stressed-out-fact-sheet

Richardson, K. M., & Rothstein, H. R. (2008). Effects of occupational stress management intervention programs: A meta-analysis. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 13(1), 69–93. https://doi.org/10.1037/1076-8998.13.1.69

Svärdman, F., Sjöwall, D., & Lindsäter, E. (2022). Internet-delivered cognitive behavioral interventions to reduce elevated stress: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Internet Interventions, 29, Article 100553. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.invent.2022.100553

World Health Organization. (2026, March 30). Stress. https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/stress