Reduce Stress with These Five Tips
Maybe you’ve already tried some of our previous hacks to manage or reduce stress. Now explore five more practical tips that can help you feel calmer, more in control, and better equipped to handle whatever comes your way.
Keep a Stress Journal
Tracking your stressors helps you understand them. Write down stressful situations in detail—date, time, place, what happened, who was involved, and how you felt emotionally and physically.
Over time, your journal reveals patterns and triggers. With this insight, you can learn to avoid certain stressors or prepare better coping strategies.
Problem-Solve with Purpose
Shift into a solution-focused mindset. Instead of dwelling on the problem, take charge of identifying steps that move you toward resolution. Feeling proactive increases your sense of control, which naturally reduces stress and prevents overwhelm.
Prioritize and Manage Your Time
Start with a master list of everything you need to accomplish. Mark it up with deadlines, true priority levels, and any details that impact timing.
Identify what must be done by you and what can be delegated. Then convert your master list into an organized to-do list by time frame and importance.
Breaking tasks down this way makes them more manageable and far less intimidating.
Learn How and When to Say “No”
Protect your time and energy. Taking on other people’s responsibilities when you’re already stretched too thin only increases stress.
Accept that you cannot do everything for everyone, and it’s okay to decline requests when your plate is full.
If saying “no” feels difficult, try phrases that gently set boundaries—offer a brief explanation, or let them know you may be able to help at a later time. Setting limits now leads to noticeably lower stress later.
Rest and Breathe Intentionally
Rest and mindful breathing work together to reduce stress and help your body recover. When you’re exhausted or run down, your sensitivity to stress increases. Short breaks—paired with controlled breathing—can quickly calm your nervous system and restore mental clarity.
Try this quick breathing exercise:
-
Inhale through your nose for 4 seconds
-
Hold for 4 seconds
-
Exhale slowly through your mouth for 6 seconds
Repeat for one to two minutes, especially when you feel tension building. This helps your body reset and makes it easier to handle daily stressors.
Life Insurance Questions?
We hope that this information on reduce stress is useful to you. If you want more tips on reducing stress check out our article Reducing Stress: Forest Bathing.
If you’d like to learn how we can help you plan your retirement, call Empower Brokerage at (888) 539-1633 to speak to one of our Life and Annuity experts or leave a comment down below.
Get affordable life insurance quotes by clicking here.
See our other websites:
This article was updated on 12/1/25.