Expert Advice

A psychiatrist's guide to managing stress

26 July 2023 | By Dr Geoff Isaacs, Consultant Psychiatrist

The modern pace of life is rapid, encouraging constant productivity and information exchange. But it’s hard to strike a work-life balance with our rising levels of work targets, living costs, and psychological inattention. “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”, but “work hard and play hard” often fails us too. In psychiatry, I’ve witnessed the toll that stress and the search for rapid relief take on patients. Here are my best insights to help you navigate these challenges.

Understanding stress

Stress is our natural response when life’s demands feel overwhelming - but stress is not inherently negative. Sometimes, learning to deal with stress is more important than reducing it. For short periods, stress can energise us to band together, find support, and push through adversity. We feel connected and good about ourselves when we meet our challenges. Perhaps our ancestors survived scarcity this way.

"Better problem solving arises when we operate with self-kindness and level-headedness."

However, when stress draws out for longer, when we are unable to take on support, or even accept there is a problem, it can lead to various mental and physical health issues. As a psychiatrist, my first piece of advice is to understand the stressors in your life and recognise the signs of excessive stress, such as anxiety, depression, and physical symptoms like chronic pain.

1. Self-awareness

Without looking for solutions, can you let yourself rationally and curiously identify the main sources of your stress? Are they related to your work, relationships or personal expectations?

Acknowledging stressors is the first step toward managing them. Allowing yourself a 15-minute daily worry diary can start to offer space around the issues. You may even let go of stressing as much the rest of your day.

2. Inner and outer support

You don’t have to accept things will stay this hard forever, but if you are regularly focusing on change and blame without success perhaps it’s time to focus on bolstering your own resources.

If, say, you often think “I can’t cope, it’s/I’m useless”, maybe your coping mechanisms could be reviewed, ideally with professional support. Practice noticing and training yourself out of harsh self-criticism. Better problem solving arises when we operate with self-kindness and level-headedness.

3. Stress management techniques

Rather than just relaxing more, practice a range of coping mechanisms. Get to know when to focus your awareness on problems, but also when to distract yourself in ways that boost your brain’s neurochemistry and flexibility.

This could mean strolling, exercising, connecting socially or just engaging your focus and imagination on any book or remotely creative endeavour. Deep breathing, meditation and yoga can sometimes help us relax, but often only after several attempts. More importantly, they do teach us how to “stay with” difficult feelings more confidently.

Alcohol and stress

Alcohol can temptingly yield temporary relief. Deceptively though, alcohol intake usually worsens stress levels over time. Therefore, it's essential to understand the relationship between alcohol and stress and seek healthier coping strategies.

Alcohol ‘depresses’ the brain

Excess alcohol disrupts our neurotransmitters, which worsens depression and anxiety. We become psychologically and physically dependent, which reduces our resilience.

Seek support

It takes courage to seek help, and there are various ways to reduce alcohol’s negative impacts, from partial moderation to full abstinence. Speak to your GP or find local online/in-person support groups. Visit Alcohol Change UK to find support options.

Finding work-life balance

Achieving a healthy work-life balance is crucial for your overall wellbeing. Some prompts you may consider include:

1. Setting boundaries

Whenever possible, designate specific work hours and off-periods. Some deadlines are unavoidable, but are you regularly struggling to protect your personal time? If so, what stops you? Are you doing this because you really have to? Ask yourself: what compromises am I willing to try?

2. Time management

Humbly try to survey how effective colleagues prioritise their tasks. For example, are there simple tricks around admin you don’t know? What specific attitudes and prioritising methods do those colleagues seem to possess? how does their identity around their job differ?

3. Maintain a support network

Our work identities can take over if we’re not careful. Surround yourself with friends and family who value you regardless. Seek out those people who you can share your goals with and discover what balance means to you personally.

By following these insights, I believe you can develop a more fulfilling and balanced life. Remember that seeking professional help is always a viable option if you find it challenging to manage stress or alcohol intake on your own.

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