Constant anxiety, fatigue, sleep disturbances and a feeling of inner tension may indicate that the body has been under stress for a long time. The causes can include work overload, financial difficulties, uncertainty, personal problems or traumatic experiences. At the same time, you can maintain your mental health through daily habits that require no special equipment or significant expense. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends simple psychological practices that help to manage stress, better understand one’s own emotions and refocus attention on everyday life.
Briefly about the main points
- Prolonged stress can affect sleep, concentration, mood and physical well-being.
- Regular physical activity, a good night’s sleep and support from loved ones help to maintain mental health.
- Breathing exercises and grounding techniques can help reduce feelings of tension.
- Limiting information overload helps to avoid additional sources of stress.
- Small but regular daily activities can help maintain your mental well-being.
- If your symptoms do not go away, get worse or interfere with your daily life, you should consult a specialist.
How stress affects the body and mental health
Stress is the body’s natural response to complex, unfamiliar or potentially dangerous situations. In the short term, it helps to mobilise energy, react more quickly to threats and focus on important tasks. Problems arise when this tension persists over a long period of time.
According to the WHO, prolonged stress can be accompanied by headaches, muscle tension, sleep problems, changes in appetite and difficulty concentrating. A person may become irritable, tire more easily, lose interest in their usual activities or feel constantly anxious.
It is important to distinguish between stress and alarm. Stress is usually linked to a specific situation or an external factor. Anxiety can persist even when there is no immediate danger. At the same time, these conditions often occur simultaneously and have similar symptoms.
Not every bout of anxiety is a sign of a mental health condition. However, if these unpleasant feelings become persistent and interfere with your ability to work, study, socialise or relax, they should not be ignored.
1. Establish a sleep and rest routine
A good night’s sleep is one of the cornerstones of physical and mental health. Whilst we rest at night, the body recovers and the brain continues to process the information it has received during the day.
For most adults, the recommended amount of sleep is around 7–9 hours a day. However, it is not just the number of hours that matters, but also consistency.
Try to go to sleep and wake up at roughly the same time each day. Before going to bed, it’s a good idea to cut down on smartphone use, avoid work-related messages and create a calm atmosphere.
If worrying thoughts are keeping you awake, you can write them down on a piece of paper along with the tasks you need to tackle the next day. This doesn’t remove the cause of your worries, but it helps to separate your current rest from your future commitments.
2. Incorporate physical activity into your daily life
Regular exercise has a positive effect not only on the muscles and the cardiovascular system, but also on psychological well-being.
According to recommendations from the US National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), even a simple daily walk can help improve your mood and general well-being.
You don’t necessarily have to go to the gym to do this. Walking, cycling, swimming, dancing or simple exercises at home will do just fine.
If you’re short on time, you can start with ten minutes of exercise a day. Gradually increasing your activity level is usually easier to turn into a habit than drastically changing your whole routine.
The most important thing is to choose a workout that suits your state of health and your own physical abilities.
3. Use breathing exercises and grounding techniques
When a person is anxious, their breathing sometimes becomes faster and shallower. Calm, steady breathing can help reduce the subjective feeling of tension.
Try to sit comfortably, relax your shoulders and breathe slowly and effortlessly for one or two minutes. There is no need to hold your breath or take particularly deep breaths. If the exercise causes dizziness or discomfort, you should stop.
Another method is — earthing techniques, which the WHO recommends using during periods of severe stress.
Its essence lies in consciously bringing one’s attention back to the present moment. To do this, you can:
- Feel your feet touching the floor.
- Name a few objects you can see around you.
- Listen to the sounds around you.
- Pay attention to physical sensations, such as the contact between your palms and the table surface.
This approach does not eliminate the source of anxiety, but it can sometimes help to reduce its intensity and allow you to get back to what you were doing.
4. Limit information overload
A constant stream of news, messages and alerts can maintain a sense of tension, particularly when the information relates to danger or uncertainty.
The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend taking breaks from consuming the news and social networks, if the flow of information increases stress.
You could set aside a specific time to catch up on the news, switch off non-essential notifications and avoid endlessly scrolling through your feed before bed.
At the same time, it is important to ensure you have access to official safety warnings. Digital hygiene does not mean ignoring messages on which your personal safety depends.
5. Don’t try to control everything at once
One source of constant anxiety may be the feeling that one must anticipate every possible problem and find a solution to them immediately.
However, a significant proportion of events are beyond our control. Constant attempts to control the uncontrollable can only exacerbate feelings of exhaustion.
It is useful to divide your worries into two groups: situations that you can influence right now, and circumstances that are beyond your control.
In the first case, it is worth identifying one small, practical step. In the second, try to refocus your attention on everyday tasks, without expecting yourself to resolve the uncertainty straight away.
A similar approach is used in the WHO’s guidelines on stress management: people learn to recognise complex thoughts without allowing them to completely dictate their behaviour.
6. Keep in touch with your loved ones
Social connections are an important part of mental health. Talking to people you trust can reduce feelings of isolation and help you get through difficult times.
You don’t necessarily have to discuss problems every time. Sometimes a simple chat, a walk together or simply spending time together is enough.
If you feel like sharing your feelings, you can tell the person you’re talking to directly what you need: advice, practical help or simply the chance to be listened to.
According to the CDC, maintaining social connections is linked to better psychological well-being, lower stress levels and better quality sleep.
At the same time, the need for solitude is also normal. It is important to strike a balance between socialising and personal space.
7. Review your daily workload and the expectations you set for yourself
Psychological exhaustion is often linked not to a single major problem, but to the accumulation of many small tasks.
Work, everyday chores, financial matters and the constant need to make decisions can gradually erode one’s ability to relax.
Experts at the NIMH advise setting priorities, postponing less urgent tasks and learning to say no to additional commitments when the workload becomes too much.
Try to choose a few tasks each day that really need your attention. Where possible, postpone the rest until another time.
It is also important to set aside time for activities you enjoy: reading, listening to music, creative pursuits, tending to plants or simply relaxing.
Recovering one’s strength is not a reward for work done, but a necessary part of everyday life.
8. Look after your body’s basic needs
Food, drinking enough fluids and taking regular breaks have an impact on how you feel and your ability to cope with the demands of everyday life.
During periods of prolonged stress, people sometimes skip meals, drink too much coffee or try to relax by drinking alcohol.
However, caffeine can increase anxiety and disrupt sleep in some people, whilst alcohol is not an effective way of coping with stress and can lead to further health problems.
Try to eat regularly, drink enough water to meet your body’s needs, and take short breaks throughout the day.
Even simple actions — such as having lunch without your phone, getting some fresh air or switching to a different activity for a short while — can form part of a healthier routine.
When stress and anxiety require professional help
Self-help is useful for maintaining one’s mental well-being, but it cannot always replace professional treatment.
According to the NIMH’s recommendations, you should seek help if your symptoms persist for two weeks or longer.
Particular attention should be paid to the following changes:
- Constant problems with sleep or appetite.
- A loss of interest in activities that used to be enjoyable.
- A prolonged feeling of low mood or hopelessness.
- Noticeable difficulties with concentration and carrying out routine tasks.
- Severe anxiety that interferes with work, study or socialising.
However, it is not necessary to wait two weeks. If your condition is deteriorating rapidly or is significantly disrupting your daily life, you can consult your GP, a psychologist or a psychiatrist sooner.
If you are having thoughts of self-harm or suicide, you need immediate help.
Psychological difficulties cannot always be overcome simply by changing one’s habits. If necessary, a specialist may recommend psychotherapy, a medical examination or treatment.
How to look after your mental health every day
Looking after one’s mental wellbeing should not become yet another list of tasks that causes additional stress.
You don’t have to follow all the recommendations at once. You can start with just one change: put your phone away earlier before bed, go for a walk every day, or set aside a few minutes for some quiet relaxation.
The WHO emphasises that simple stress management techniques can be practised for as little as a few minutes a day. Consistency and tailoring the exercises to the individual are more important than the complexity of the exercises.
Mental health — it is not about being in a good mood all the time, nor is it the absence of negative emotions. It also involves the ability to recognise how you are feeling, to seek support and to gradually recover after difficult periods.
