Mayo Clinic's approach

Teamwork

Products and Services

If you receive care at Mayo Clinic, consider registering for this online class: Introduction to tai chi

Mayo Clinic Integrative Medicine and Health combines conventional medicine with evidence-based complementary and integrative medicine. If you're facing illness, your Mayo Clinic specialists can help integrate stress management into your overall treatment plan.

Having all of this specialized expertise in a single place, focused on you, means that you're not getting only one opinion — your care is discussed among the team, and your appointments are scheduled in coordination to determine what's best for you.

Variety of treatments

Massage therapist massages man's shoulder and neck Massage therapy

A certified massage therapist manipulates the soft tissues of your body, such as the muscle, connective tissue, tendons, ligaments and skin.

Experts at Mayo Clinic provide many stress management approaches, including:

  • Acupuncture. Insertion of very thin needles through your skin at strategic points in your body might help boost your body's natural painkillers and increase blood flow.
  • Counseling. Discussing life and health-related stresses with a medical professional can help you develop coping skills for challenging situations.
  • Deep breathing. Breathing from a muscle under your rib cage (diaphragm) can create a pattern of slower, deeper and more-efficient breathing.
  • Guided imagery (visualization). Picturing calming mental images of relaxing places and situations can help you cope with negative emotions, feelings or circumstances.
  • Massage therapy. A certified massage therapist manipulates the soft tissues of your body — muscle, connective tissue, tendons, ligaments and skin. He or she uses varying degrees of pressure and movement.
  • Meditation. Developing intentional focus — minimizing random thoughts about the past or future — can help with relaxation and stress reduction.
  • Mindfulness exercises. This form of meditation teaches you to be intensely aware of what you're sensing and feeling at every moment, without interpretation or judgment.
  • Progressive muscle relaxation. Tensing and relaxing the muscle groups throughout your body can help to calm anxious feelings.
  • Resilience training. Learning to be more intentional about your perceptions can decrease negative thoughts and help you develop resilience — your ability to recover quickly after stress.
  • Yoga. Various types of mind-body practices that combine a series of precise poses (postures) with controlled breathing can help relax your mind and increase strength and flexibility.

Not all approaches are available at each Mayo Clinic campus.

Two women have their hands clasped together in front of them to practice meditation Meditation

In meditation, you develop intentional focus and minimize thoughts about the past or future. This can help with relaxation.

Expertise and rankings

Expertise and individualized care

Mayo Clinic specialists have developed structured approaches to stress management and to complementary and integrative medicine. Your Mayo Clinic treatment team can help you find stress management approaches that work for you. Mayo Clinic is committed to meeting your comprehensive needs with respect to mind, body and spirit.

Research

Mayo Clinic doctors are committed to providing evidence-based care and use of stress management approaches that have been tested for effectiveness and safety. Mayo Clinic researchers conduct studies to improve stress management approaches in the Integrative Medicine and Health Research Program.

These Mayo Clinic researchers developed a Stress Management and Resiliency Training (SMART) Program for improving resiliency and quality of life, and reducing stress and anxiety. Studies have found the training to have positive results.

Locations, travel and lodging

Mayo Clinic has major campuses in Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona; Jacksonville, Florida; and Rochester, Minnesota. The Mayo Clinic Health System has dozens of locations in several states.

For more information on visiting Mayo Clinic, choose your location below:

Costs and insurance

Mayo Clinic works with hundreds of insurance companies and is an in-network provider for millions of people.

In most cases, Mayo Clinic doesn't require a physician referral. Some insurers require referrals, or may have additional requirements for certain medical care. All appointments are prioritized on the basis of medical need.

Learn more about appointments at Mayo Clinic.

Please contact your insurance company to verify medical coverage and to obtain any needed authorization prior to your visit. Often, your insurer's customer service number is printed on the back of your insurance card.

More information about billing and insurance:

Mayo Clinic in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota

Mayo Clinic Health System

Clinical trials

Explore Mayo Clinic studies of tests and procedures to help prevent, detect, treat or manage conditions.

Oct. 05, 2021
  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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