top of page

How to Manage Stress Effectively with Practical Tools

  • Aug 6, 2025
  • 3 min read

Lena Yaghan is a Psychotherapist in Private Practice and an Anxiety Expert. She is a Certified Clinical Anxiety Treatment Professional. Lena is the creator of AnxietyEase, a life-changing practice in one App to better help individuals manage their anxiety daily.

Executive Contributor Lena Yaghan

Stress, it’s everywhere. We hear almost daily from someone around us, “I am so stressed.” We hear about it constantly, and for good reason. Stress can affect our physical and mental health. How can we learn to handle it more effectively in our daily lives? Here are some practical tools to help you manage everyday stress in a healthier, more productive way.


A woman with curly hair sits on a bed with her face in her hands, seemingly upset.

Reframe your thoughts about stress


Remind yourself that stress doesn’t always have to be negative or seen as a bad thing in our lives. Reframe your thoughts surrounding stress in a positive way. Remember that your goal is to better manage stress, not fully eliminate it.


Talk about it


Talking about your stress with a therapist or a supportive person will release and reduce the negative feelings you have about your recent stressors. It will help you see a different perspective and feel better overall. Even a short conversation can help release the emotional weight you are carrying about your stress. Go ahead talk to someone you trust about your stress.


Focus on what you can control, not what you can’t


In the heat of the moment, a small stressor could feel like a big stressor. Take a step back and ask yourself: “Will this matter in an hour? A day? A week? A month? A year?” Try to see your stress in the context of your overall journey.


Then remind yourself to repeat: “These are the things I can control. These are the things I cannot control.” Repeating this can help you recognize that some stressors are outside of your control, and that’s okay.


These simple mental exercises can help ground you and reduce the sense of helplessness that often comes with stress.


Utilize physical tools


Stress isn’t just in our minds, it also lives in our bodies. Simple physical practices can help release built-up tension. Try utilizing deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, stretching, a short walk, or any form of movement in your day. Even a few minutes of physical activity can calm your nervous system and reset your mindset. Mindfulness practices like meditation or guided breathing can also ground you and help bring you back to the present moment.


Final thought


Stress is a normal part of life, but it doesn’t have to control you. By changing how you view stress, talking about it openly, and focusing on what’s within your power, you can build healthier ways to cope, one step at a time. You got this!

 

Follow me on Instagram, and visit my website for more info!

Read more from Lena Yaghan

Lena Yaghan, Psychotherapist & AnxietyEase App Creator

Lena is a Psychotherapist with a passion for helping others conquer their anxiety and fears. She has dedicated her energy to helping others learn tools to better manage their anxiety daily. There is no fear or anxiety challenge she will not help an individual conquer. Her mission is to help others know you can conquer your anxiety. During her interactions with clients in her Private Practice, she decided to create an app to better help others in the world manage their anxiety. AnxietyEase was created in 2022. AnxietyEase has several anxiety tools in one app, such as guided deep breathing videos, journaling with a voice option, creating your mantra, and a worry timer.

This article is published in collaboration with Brainz Magazine’s network of global experts, carefully selected to share real, valuable insights.

Article Image

7 Hard Truths About Mental Health Care No One is Talking About

A couple of months ago, I started noticing something that didn’t make sense. Clients I had been working with consistently, people who were showing up, opening up, doing the work, began to disappear....

Article Image

Five Tips to Help You Leave Your Short Perimenopause Appointment with a Plan

Most women who begin to experience perimenopausal symptoms don't see a menopause specialist, many don’t even see their OB-GYN. They see the doctor they know and who takes their insurance: their primary care...

Article Image

How to Set Boundaries Without Hurting Your Relationships

If you’ve ever struggled to say no, felt guilty for needing space, or worried that setting limits might push people away, you’re not alone. As a trained psychotherapist, I’ve seen how deeply this fear runs...

Article Image

What the Dying Teach Us About Living

In the final days of life, something shifts. People do not talk about their achievements. They do not mention their job titles, their bank accounts, or the expectations they spent a lifetime trying to meet.

Article Image

How to Stop Seeking Happiness Outside of Yourself, and Become Self-Sourced

As a sensitive child growing up in an unstable household, I would constantly scan the room before I knew who to be. I would attune to those around me, my mother and my father, so I would know what I needed...

Article Image

You're Not AI and Stop Communicating Like One

There's a version of "professional communication" spreading through organizations right now that is clean, clear, well-structured and completely devoid of humanity. It arrives in your inbox on time. It has no typos.

Are You Going or Glowing? A Work-Life Balance Reflection

What Happens Just Before You Don’t Do What You Said You Should

Haters in High Places, Power Psychology and the Discipline of Alignment

Why High Achievers Rarely Feel Successful

Your Relationship with Yourself Is the Key to Healthy Relationships

3 Ways That Leaders Can Nurture Conflict Resilience in Their Organization

Why Some People Don’t Answer Your Questions and Why That’s Not Resistance

Rethinking Generational Differences at Work and Why Individual Variation Matters More Than Labels

Discover How You Can Be Happier

bottom of page