Coping strategies for stress at work.

Two kinds of coping.

Psychologists Richard Lazarus and Susan Folkman, whose 1984 book on stress and coping shaped the field, distinguished between problem-focused coping, which aims to change the situation, and emotion-focused coping, which aims to change how you feel about it. Both are useful. The skill is choosing the right one for the situation.

Problem-focused strategies.

Ways to change the source.

1. 1
   Name the source. Write down the three things that raised your stress most this week.
2. 2
   Agree priorities. Ask your manager to rank your work when everything feels urgent.
3. 3
   Break it down. Turn a big, vague task into the next small step you can do today.
4. 4
   Ask for help early. Raise problems while they are small and fixable.
5. 5
   Say no with an alternative. “I can do this by Friday if X moves to next week.”
6. 6
   Set boundaries. A stopping time, focus blocks and rules for after-hours messages.
7. 7
   Fix what keeps recurring. A tool that fails, a handover that breaks, a meeting that overruns.

Emotion-focused strategies.

Ways to manage your response.

1. 1
   Protect sleep. A regular wake time and no email in bed have the biggest return.
2. 2
   Move every day. A walk at lunch lowers tension and improves sleep.
3. 3
   Take real breaks. Away from the screen, even for five minutes.
4. 4
   Talk to someone. A colleague, friend or manager; shared problems feel smaller.
5. 5
   Reframe. Ask what you can learn or control, rather than what is going wrong.
6. 6
   Breathe and pause. A few slow breaths before a difficult conversation.
7. 7
   Keep a life outside work. Activities that have nothing to do with your job help you switch off.

Coping habits that backfire.

Some strategies bring quick relief and longer-term harm. Working longer to catch up erodes recovery. Avoiding the problem or the person lets it grow. Checking messages constantly keeps stress switched on. Skipping meals and sleep, or relying on alcohol, caffeine or scrolling to unwind, makes the next day harder. If you notice these patterns, take them as a sign that the load is too high, not as a personal failing.

A daily routine that helps.

Start with the most important task before email. Batch messages at set times. Step away from the screen every 60 to 90 minutes. Take a proper lunch break, ideally outside. Write tomorrow’s top three tasks before you finish, then stop. Small, regular habits work better than occasional big efforts. More ideas in how to manage stress at work.

Talking to your manager about stress.

Be specific: name the tasks, deadlines or patterns that are causing pressure, and what it is affecting, such as quality or sleep. Bring a suggestion, such as moving a deadline or dropping a task. Ask what the priorities are. A good manager would rather hear early than find out through mistakes or sick leave. See signs of overworking for a conversation script.

Where coping ends.

Coping strategies help people handle pressure, but they cannot fix work that is badly designed. The HSE Management Standards put the main causes of work-related stress with the employer: demands, control, support, relationships, role and change. If stress comes from permanent overload, unclear roles or conflict, the fix is a change at work. Employers should measure stress by team and act on the causes. Capacity is the energy, recovery, focus and resilience a person has available to sustain performance.

When to get help.

If stress affects your sleep, mood or health for more than a few weeks, talk to your doctor. Many employers offer an employee assistance program with free, confidential counseling. If you feel overwhelmed or unsafe, in the US you can call or text 988 (988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline). Take the free burnout self-check to see whether stress has started to turn into burnout.