Stress management

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Three people performing a yoga pose while standing Yoga pose

Yoga poses, such as the warrior seen here, involve precise alignment of your arms, legs and torso. The balance of poses and breathing help you achieve stress management and relaxation.

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Stress management offers a range of strategies to help you better deal with stress and difficulty (adversity) in your life. Managing stress can help you lead a more balanced, healthier life.

Stress is an automatic physical, mental and emotional response to a challenging event. It's a normal part of everyone's life. When used positively, stress can lead to growth, action and change. But negative, long-term stress can lessen your quality of life.

Stress management approaches include:

  • Learning skills such as problem-solving, prioritizing tasks and time management.
  • Enhancing your ability to cope with adversity. For example, you may learn how to improve your emotional awareness and reactions, increase your sense of control, find greater meaning and purpose in life, and cultivate gratitude and optimism.
  • Practicing relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, yoga, meditation, tai chi, exercise and prayer.
  • Improving your personal relationships.

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By Mayo Clinic Staff

Stress management care at Mayo Clinic

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Doctors & Departments
Oct. 05, 2021
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  1. Five tips to help manage stress. American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/helpcenter/manage-stress. Accessed April 30, 2019.
  2. 5 things you should know about stress. National Institute of Mental Health. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/stress/index.shtml. Accessed May 2, 2019.
  3. AskMayoExpert. Stress management and resiliency (adult). Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; 2019.
  4. How stress affects your life. American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/helpcenter/stress. Accessed May 2, 2019.
  5. Hofmann SG, et al. Mindfulness-based interventions for anxiety and depression. The Psychiatric Clinics of North America. 2017;40:739.
  6. Relaxation techniques for health. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. https://nccih.nih.gov/health/stress/relaxation.htm. Accessed April 30, 2019.
  7. Rakel D, ed. Relaxation techniques. In: Integrative Medicine. 4th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Elsevier; 2018. https://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed April 30, 2019.
  8. Bystritsky A. Complementary and alternative treatments for anxiety symptoms and disorders: Physical, cognitive, and spiritual interventions. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/search. Accessed May 2, 2019.
  9. Bonow RO, et al., eds. Integrative approaches to the management of patients with heart disease. In: Braunwald's Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine. 11th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2019. https://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed May 2, 2019.
  10. Seaward BL. Massage therapy and bodywork. In: Essentials of Managing Stress. 4th ed. Burlington, Mass.: Jones & Bartlett Learning; 2017.
  11. AskMayoExpert. Resilience training. Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; 2019.

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