“Stressed!” is perhaps the answer most often given to the question “How are you?” these days.

Stress is almost a normal part of life today - and with it a multitude of complex reactions in the body.  Whether we are in danger of our lives or stressed out by a full diary makes no difference here.

From the evolutionary perspective, stress is central to survival. When our ancestors in the Stone Age encountered a sabre-toothed tiger, their stress hormones put their bodies on full alert. Fight or flight: regardless of which option was chosen, the body needed to supply energy and consolidate its strengths within the space of a few seconds. We still experience these physical reactions today.

Our hectic everyday lives, and the pressure to meet deadlines, mean that a brief boost to energy and performance makes sense. However, the problem today is that the energy produced by the stress reaction is often not expended, so the body remains in a state of heightened activity. If this continues over an extended period, it is called chronic stress and it can negatively impact our health.

Recognising stress

It isn’t always easy to find the balance between our daily demands and our own abilities, or to be aware of our own stress signals and read them accurately. For targeted stress reduction, it is important to know how you yourself respond to stress. An aid for this is the Stress Check from stress-nostress.ch.

Dealing with stress

Like the causes of stress, dealing with stress is also personal to the individual and different from one person to the next. We use both strategies to deal with stress factors (stressors) directly, such as managing personal stress amplifiers (thoughts, attitudes, our own expectations etc.) and also regulating and controlling our mental and physical responses to stress. While this is easy in some situations, in others we quickly reach our limits and, in the worst-case scenario, are overwhelmed by stress, which is something we would all like to avoid. That is why it is important to regularly ask yourself if you are on track with dealing with stressors (deadline pressure, exam stress, everyday annoyances, life crises etc.). Are your usual strategies effective? Can you handle the daily demands of your life in a way that leaves you feeling well and competent? Or are you stressed and overloaded? It is high time to scrutinise your usual coping patterns critically, and expand your readiness and abilities to handle stress.

Stress management strategies

The bigger your personal “toolkit” of strategies for dealing with stress, the better! You should continually add new techniques to it and build up a wide repertoire of stress management strategies. This will give you security when dealing with stress, which in turn will positively affect your mental and physical health.

Stress reduction strategies
Stress management tips for work
Stress management tips for young people
Stress handling tips for families

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    • Test

      How do you handle stress?

      Maybe you already know. If you are unsure,
      this test can help you. You only have to answer four questions.

    • Question 1

      Do you say “No” when you notice it’s getting too much for you?


    • Question 2

      Do you set priorities and sometimes delegate tasks to others? 


    • Question 3

      Do you ever talk to someone when you feel stressed?


    • Question 4

      Do you do anything to counteract the demands of your daily routine?


    • Saying “No” is not one of your strengths

      and you frequently reach your limit when dealing with stress and strain. Don’t worry. It doesn’t have to go on like this! You can learn to cope better with the demands of your daily routine, and to combat stress more effectively. Take a look at our tips and tricks for handling stress and put them into practice in your daily routine. Good luck and keep at it! It is worth it – you’ll see!

      You currently seem to be struggling to cope with stress and strains.

      Being conscious of this is the first step to a life with less stress, or a more effective method of dealing with it. Be aware: stress arises first of all in the head. This means that you can control whether you feel stressed or not. The best thing about this is that you can learn to manage stresses and strains successfully. Take a look at our tips and tricks, and take the second step of trying to put them into practice. Good luck and keep at it! It is worth it – you’ll see!

      It’s good you’re here!

      When you’re dealing with stress, some things work well for you, but others you find quite hard. Don’t worry, Rome wasn’t built in a day! Keep at it and try to improve your stress-busting abilities. Our tips and tricks for handling stress might help you. Take a look at them and try to put them into practice. Good luck!

      Fantastic!

      You seem to be on the right path to successfully managing any strains and stresses. Take a look at our tips and tricks for handling stress and try to use more of them. Keep at it and expand your stress-busting abilities. You can never have too many of them!

      Well done!

      You seem to be very good at managing stress! Congratulations! Have you ever clapped yourself on the back and praised yourself for it? No? Then do it now! You should be proud of how you currently handle stress.

    Tips and tricks

    SOS help in stressful situations: breathe deeply – get some oxygen!

    Be physically active. Thirty minutes of moderate-intensity exercise daily will signifi-cantly reduce the stress hormone levels in the blood.

    It isn’t worth getting worked up about things that you cannot influence. Concentrate on the essential – what is really important to you.

    To-do lists create a quick overview and help you to coordinate private and professional matters. Write your to-do list and deal with the items in order of priority.

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    • References
      Fuchs, R. & Gerber, M. (Hrsg.). (2018).
      Handbuch Stressregulation und Sport. Berlin: Springer.
      Hartmann, T., Gerber, M. & Pühse, U. (2014).
      Zeig dem Stress die rote Karte: Manual zur Stressbewältigung. Aachen: Meyer & Meyer Verlag
      Kaluza, G. (2018).
      Stressbewältigung: Trainingsmanual zur psychologischen Gesundheitsförderung. (4. Aufl.). Berlin: Springer.
      Scullin, M.K., Kreuger, M.L., Ballard, H.K., Pruett, N., & Bliwise, D.L. (2018).
      The effects of bedtime writing on difficulty falling asleep: A polysomnographic study comparing to-do lists and completed activitiy lists. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 147(1), 139-146.
      Varvogli L & Darviri C (2011)
      Stress Management Techniques: evidence-based procedures that reduce stress and promote health. Health Science Journal, 5 (2), 74-89.