How to Manage Stress and Anxiety: Evidence-Based Techniques

Stress is described by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a state of worry or mental tension caused by a difficult situation, framed as a natural response that can help people respond to challenges. Anxiety becomes a concern for health when it is persistent, interferes with daily functioning, or triggers conditions such as generalized anxiety disorder. The techniques below are drawn from guidance published by WHO, the US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH, part of NIH), and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).

Recognising stress and anxiety symptoms

WHO lists common signs of stress as difficulty relaxing or concentrating, irritability, headaches, body pain, stomach upset, sleep problems, appetite changes, and increased use of alcohol, tobacco or other substances. WHO notes that stress responses vary widely between individuals, so the same situation can affect two people very differently.

Step-by-step: evidence-based techniques to try

1. Practice slow, diaphragmatic breathing. NCCIH cites a 2019 review of 880 participants finding preliminary evidence that slow, deep breathing exercises can modestly lower blood pressure and cortisol, and may help reduce stress.
2. Try progressive muscle relaxation. According to NCCIH, studies show this technique — tensing and releasing muscle groups in sequence — can produce stress relief and positively affect anxiety and depression in some people; a 2016 study found it lowered blood pressure during pregnancy.
3. Build a regular mindfulness or meditation practice. NCCIH states current evidence suggests mindfulness meditation may help reduce stress, anxiety and depression symptoms and improve sleep; a 2022 study found participants had significant reductions in perceived stress and anxiety levels.
4. Walk or move daily, even briefly. NIMH states that about 30 minutes of walking each day can improve mood and overall health, and notes that shorter bouts of activity accumulated through the day can still provide benefit.
5. Protect your sleep schedule. NIMH recommends a consistent sleep routine and limiting blue-light exposure from screens before bed, since this can delay falling asleep.
6. Stay connected to trusted people. WHO's guidance for coping with stress includes maintaining contact with friends and family as a buffer against difficult situations.
7. Limit exposure to distressing news if it increases your anxiety, a strategy WHO specifically lists among its coping recommendations.
8. Keep daily routines and balanced eating habits, which WHO also identifies as practical stress-management steps.
9. Use structured self-help tools if needed, such as WHO's illustrated self-help guide for coping with stress, built around grounding, unhooking from difficult thoughts, acting on personal values, self-kindness, and making room for difficult feelings.

What the evidence says about effectiveness

Support for these techniques is generally described as moderate rather than definitive. NCCIH, for example, notes that a 2018 review found relaxation therapies and biofeedback may be helpful for lowering blood pressure, but gave this only a weak recommendation because of low-quality underlying data from the studies reviewed.

When to seek professional help

WHO advises seeking professional support when stress symptoms become persistent and start interfering with work, school or daily life, or when they trigger a mental health condition such as anxiety or depression. NIMH gives a more specific threshold: contact a mental health professional if severe or distressing symptoms — such as sleep difficulties, appetite changes, concentration problems, loss of interest in usual activities, or persistent irritability — last two weeks or longer. NIMH also lists the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, reachable by call or text at 988 in the United States, for anyone in immediate distress.