Key Takeaways: How to relieve stress
Article reviewed by Cate Page, Chief Clinical Officer, Converge
Stress can persist after a problem ends because the body’s stress response may take time to settle.
Ongoing or repeated stressors can accumulate when there is not enough opportunity for recovery.
Common signs include difficulty switching off, irritability, fatigue, poor concentration and reduced enjoyment.
Sustainable stress relief may involve identifying triggers, setting boundaries, taking breaks, maintaining healthy routines and seeking support early.
What Is the Stress Cycle?
Stress relief is defined as the physical and mental approach to alleviating stress through methods and techniques that help us compartmentalise pressure and reduce our “fight or flight” response. One way we support stress relief is by helping our nervous system regulate, allowing cortisol and adrenaline levels to gradually return towards baseline. However, if not managed correctly, the body and mind can run through what is known as a stress cycle.
Stress is caused by the body’s and mind’s responses to an event. When we encounter stress, we can go through a natural response to the threats or demands, called the stress cycle. This response can be both mental and physical. The following is a breakdown of the four stages of the stress cycle, as described by Dr. Megan Anna Neff:
- Stressor: Our mind and body perceive that a stressor (or threat) is present, which can be both external and internal. For example, a stressor in our daily life could be a tight deadline to deliver a project, an inundated inbox, or getting home from work to a chaotic house.
- Response: Your body and mind mobilise to respond to the stressor, activating your natural stress response to help you manage the situation. This can manifest as a racing heart, trembling, rapid breathing, muscle tension, sweating, or feeling mentally overwhelmed – the fight or flight response.
- Managing the stressor: This is where you attempt to relieve the stress you’re feeling through breathing techniques, movement, shaking or stimming to help your nervous system regulate and return towards its baseline, while allowing adrenaline and cortisol levels to subside.
- Safety: Once your body starts to receive and process signals that the threat or demand is no longer present, your nervous system begins returning to its baseline state. This may be supported through connection, movement, breathing, or other familiar routines.
The difference between managing stress & completing the stress response
The final stage in the cycle is critical as your strategies signal to your body that the threat has passed enabling your nervous system to begin to return to its baseline.
Key callout: The 4 stages of the stress cycle
We can understand the stages of stress management, and the stress cycle as the following: Trigger → Stress Response → Recovery → Return to Balance.
However, there is a difference between resolving a stressor and completing your stress response. Resolving a stressor is when you may have completed a project, but you may not have necessarily completed your stress response. This can mean that, when you’re faced with a similar stressor again, you may encounter the same fight, flight or freeze response, prohibiting your nervous system from returning to its optimal baseline level, Overtime, this can mean adrenaline and cortisol remain high in your body which can become chronic stress.
On the other hand, completing the stress response means you’ve allowed your nervous system to return to its baseline after responding to the stressor. This can be supported through techniques such as movement, breathing, connection or other regulation strategies. For example:
01 | The stressor
You’ve come into work with an overloaded inbox
02 | The response
Your heart rate may begin to rise, and fear may take over.
03 | Manage response
You’ve then gathered your thoughts through movement or breathing while planning how you’ll approach your inbox.
04 | Safety
Finally, you’ve prioritised your emails, and your body begins to recognise the immediate threat has passed, allowing your nervous system to return towards balance.
Why Is Finding Stress Relief Difficult?
Stress relief refers to activities and strategies that help regulate your body’s stress response and return your nervous system towards balance. For many of us, we may find it difficult to overcome stress inside and outside of work, and importantly, switch off.
Reducing stress can be particularly difficult because many of our stressors are ongoing and may not have a known ending. This could be due to ongoing deadlines, a continuously high workload, financial pressures, challenges in relationships, and uncertainty or overwhelming responsibilities, such as caregiving.
According to NCLS, 46% of Australians report high levels of stress. Very high stress levels also rose from 12% in 2022 to 14% in 2024, meaning more Australians are encountering significant stress in their daily life.
When stress isn’t properly managed or the stressor seems to be constantly present, our brains can remain in a heightened state – that’s even after the original trigger has passed. Stress may sometimes arise from a single event, but it can also arise from an accumulation of triggers, otherwise known as accumulated, chronic or cumulative stress.
46%
of Australians report high levels of stress
What is Cumulative Stress?
Cumulative stress is the combined effect of repeated or ongoing stressors over time. It can develop when pressures continue without sufficient recovery, even when no single event feels overwhelming.
Stress triggers are not always present in these categories; for example, some people thrive with higher, more challenging job demands. However, if there are triggers and these job demands don’t change, cumulative stress may occur. Responses can also be exacerbated if we place high expectations on ourselves.
If you feel like you’re unable to “switch off”, that is common and doesn’t necessarily mean something is wrong. It may simply indicate the stress response hasn’t fully settled. All in all, we all encounter stress, and for some, cumulative stress can become their reality. However, it is important to know that there are strategies to address this, and if adopted consistently, stress can become manageable. Before we explore stress management techniques, let’s identify the symptoms of cumulative stress.
Examples of cumulative stress closely align with psychosocial risks:
- High workloads
- Poor communication
- Low job control
- High job demands
- Poor organisational justice.
Symptoms of Cumulative Stress
Symptoms of cumulative stress can include the following, as outlined by RMB Psychology:
Physical
Symptoms
- Headaches
- Abdominal Pain
- Back Pain
- Sleep Disorders
Mental
Symptoms
- Poor Focus & Concentration
- Low Job Performance
- Negative Attitude
- Fatigue
- Lower Motivation
- Increased Paranoia
Emotional
Symptoms
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Irritability
- Mood Swings
- Pessimism
Relationship Symptoms
- Isolation
- Withdrawal
- Resentfulness
- Intolerance
Behavioural Symptoms
- Increased Risk-Taking Behaviour
- Addictive Behaviours
- Fluctuation in Eating Habits
Common stressors and how they may affect you
Everyone experiences stress differently. While stress responses vary from person to person, the table below highlights some common stressors and the physical or emotional responses they may trigger. Recognising these patterns can help you identify when you’re entering the stress cycle and begin using healthy stress relief techniques.
How Stress Impacts Employees in Australian Workplaces
Stress is one of the most common reasons employees seek support through Converge. Across hundreds of thousands of interactions each year, our de-identified data provides valuable insights into how stress affects Australian workplaces. The findings below highlight some of the most common stress-related trends experienced by employees and why early support and intervention are so important.
63%
of support we provide is for employee counselling.
Source: Converge International de-identified service data, FY25. Figures reflect recorded presenting issues and service activity across Converge’s Australian EAP network. Individuals may present with more than one issue.
We delivered more than 292,000 EAP support hours during FY25.
31% of issues were workplace concerns.
26% of workplace concerns were related to work stress.
Over 7,000 EAP cases were employees presenting with workplace stress.
Almost 2,000 EAP cases involved concerns about work-life balance.
Ongoing stress has remained the leading issue presented by employees month after month
How Do You Know You’re Stuck in the Stress Cycle?
To identify if you’re stuck in the stress cycle, you need to observe and evaluate the psychological and behavioural signals. This will help you understand what triggers your ongoing stress and what causes your mental and physical symptoms. Signs of ongoing stress may include:
Try this reflective exercise now: do you see any of these stressors in your daily life? How do you respond? How do you manage them? Do you effectively complete the stress cycle? Finally, are your symptoms ongoing? These signs can have multiple causes, and persistent symptoms should be discussed with a qualified health professional.
Signs of ongoing stress may include:
- Constantly thinking about work or responsibilities
- Feeling overwhelmed by small problems
- Difficulty concentrating
- Irritability
- Emotional exhaustion
- Losing motivation
- Feeling "on edge"
- Difficulty relaxing even during downtime
- Reduced enjoyment in activities
6 Practical Ways to Reduce Stress and Find Lasting Stress Relief
Breaking the stress cycle and maintaining sustainable recovery takes a range of wellbeing strategies and cannot be achieved with quick fixes. Short exercises to quickly reduce stress are important, but alone, they don’t always allow full recovery from stress, potentially making you more vulnerable to cumulative stress.
Research from Health Psychology shows that: “high cumulative stress exacerbates the association between daily stressor exposure and increased daily negative affect.” Over time, cumulative stress may contribute to poorer health and can intensify the emotional impact of everyday stressors. As such, managing your stressors and breaking the stress cycle is essential. Overcoming stress is an ongoing process, not a one-time solution. While this may seem overwhelming, a short exercise performed frequently, and making meaningful changes in your day-to-day life can help you reduce stress.
Here are 6 key sustainable recovery strategies to break the stress cycle (not quick fixes):
- Recognising your stress triggers: identify the symptoms of your stress and what may be causing or contributing to those symptoms.
- Setting realistic boundaries: Delegate tasks where possible (this also includes at home, such as asking your kids or partner to get involved in household chores). Learn to say no and promote load sharing so boundaries are not overstepped.
- Taking meaningful breaks: Actively take breaks when you encounter stress (such as 5 minutes away from the screen to recollect your thoughts). Stress can arise when we’re inundated with tasks, so ensure we’re actively engaging in self-care and switching off where possible outside of work hours.
- Connecting with supportive people: Build a support network around you, which can include friends and family. Talk through the challenges you face with stress and ask them how they handle stress – this could give you new techniques.
- Developing healthy coping strategies: Focus on positive routines, such as short walks and exercise, healthy eating, and good sleep patterns. Be mindful of your alcohol intake and don’t exceed recommended daily consumption and ensure you have alcohol-free days. Being energised can help us manage stress and handle stress with a clearer mind.
- Seeking support before stress becomes overwhelming: When stress becomes overwhelming and unmanageable, never suffer in silence. Reach out for support. You can use your company’s EAP counselling service, it’s free, confidential, and provides expert support for any mental health and wellbeing-related challenges.
EAP Support
When to Seek Professional Support for Stress
When stress starts to become overwhelming, unmanageable, or a constant presence, you should actively seek support. Professional support can also help if you experience cumulative stress inside and outside of work by helping you, get ahead of your stress triggers and develop key coping strategies. Everyone experiences stress differently. Nonetheless, support can be beneficial when stress:
01.
Persists despite self-care efforts
02.
Begins affecting work or relationships
03.
Feels difficult to manage alone
04.
Leads to ongoing emotional distress
05.
Makes it difficult to enjoy everyday life
Living with daily stress doesn’t have to be the norm; in fact, free and confidential support is available. Speaking with a GP or mental health professional can help you deal with stress. In addition, most organisations in Australia offer Employee Assistance Program (EAP) which can be a valuable support.
EAP is where a third-party, such as Converge, delivers confidential mental health and wellbeing support, through a network of experienced and qualified clinicians and coaches, to employees free of charge, as it’s funded by an employer. EAP can help you develop key stress-relieving strategies and support you with identifying and managing your key stress triggers. Early support and intervention is a proactive step towards relieving stress and mental health-related challenges – not a last resort. So consider reaching out to your EAP for help; contact your HR team for more details.
Seeking support is a sign of taking your wellbeing seriously. Converge is here to help you overcome any challenges. If you’re a leader or employer reading this article, reach out to find out how we can support you and your workforce with expert care, anytime, anywhere. We will actively embed our clinical network of 2,000+ clinicians and coaches, holistic wellbeing streams, and range of digital wellbeing tools and solutions to drive greater wellbeing outcomes.
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Frequently Asked Questions about Stress Relief
What is the stress cycle?
The stress cycle is your body’s natural response to a perceived threat or demand. It begins with a stressor, followed by your physical and mental stress response, then the actions you take to regulate that response, before finally returning to a state of safety and balance. Understanding the stress cycle can help you recognise why stress sometimes lingers even after a problem has been resolved.
Why doesn't stress just go away?
Stress doesn’t always disappear once a stressful event ends because your nervous system may still be activated. While you might resolve the stressor itself, your body may not have completed its stress response. Ongoing pressures, cumulative stress and repeated exposure to stressors can also make it difficult to fully switch off, highlighting the importance of actively managing stress rather than simply waiting for it to pass.
What are the most common stress symptoms?
Stress symptoms can affect your body, mind, emotions, relationships and behaviour. Common symptoms include headaches, muscle tension, difficulty sleeping, poor concentration, feeling overwhelmed, irritability, anxiety, emotional exhaustion, withdrawing from others and changes in eating habits. If these symptoms persist or begin affecting your daily life, consider seeking professional support.
What are the best ways to relieve stress?
Effective stress relief focuses on helping your nervous system return to balance rather than relying on quick fixes. Strategies include recognising your stress triggers, setting healthy boundaries, taking meaningful breaks, connecting with supportive people, developing healthy routines such as exercise and good sleep, and seeking professional support before stress becomes overwhelming.
When should I seek help for stress?
You should seek professional support in the following circumstances: if stress persists in spite of your self-care; when it begins affecting your work or relationships; feels difficult to manage alone; causes ongoing emotional distress, or makes it difficult to enjoy everyday life. Speaking with a GP, psychologist, counsellor or your Employee Assistance Program (EAP) can help you develop practical strategies to manage stress before it escalates.
Can an Employee Assistance Program help with stress?
Yes. An Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provides free and confidential access to qualified mental health professionals who can help you understand your stress triggers, develop healthier coping strategies and build long-term resilience. Early support through an EAP can help prevent stress from becoming overwhelming and support your overall mental wellbeing.
