To deal with stress at work, work on three levels: calm your body when stress spikes (a few slow breaths with a longer out-breath, feet on the floor), change what you can about how your work is set up (priorities, interruptions, a conversation with your manager), and give yourself a clear end to the workday so your mind gets to recover. A breathing exercise helps in the moment. It doesn't solve too much work, and that is fine: it's not meant to.
This page is about everyday work stress. If you've felt exhausted, low or unable to cope for weeks, read the part on burnout and getting help first.
Stress at work: what to do, and when
| Moment | What helps | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Stress spikes at your desk | The 90-second desk reset below | 90 seconds |
| Between two meetings | Three slow breaths, shoulders down | 30 seconds |
| Too much on your plate | Pick the one task that matters most today | 5 minutes |
| The same problem every week | Talk to your manager with one concrete suggestion | one conversation |
| End of the day | A short closing ritual before you leave or shut the laptop | 5 minutes |
Signs of stress at work
The NHS sorts the symptoms of stress into three groups:
- In the body: headaches or dizziness, muscle tension or pain, stomach problems, chest pain or a faster heartbeat.
- In the mind: difficulty concentrating, struggling to make decisions, feeling overwhelmed, constantly worrying, being forgetful.
- In behavior: being irritable and snappy, sleeping too much or too little, eating too much or too little.
At work this often looks like rereading the same email three times, snapping at a colleague, or lying awake running through tomorrow's meetings. None of these signs is specific to stress. Chest pain in particular needs a doctor, not a breathing exercise.
What causes stress at work
Stress at work usually comes from the work itself, not from a personal weakness. The World Health Organization lists risks to mental health at work that include:
- excessive workloads or work pace, and understaffing
- long, unsocial or inflexible hours
- lack of control over job design or workload
- under-use of skills, or being under-skilled for the work
- violence, harassment, bullying and discrimination
- job insecurity and inadequate pay
- conflicting home and work demands
That list matters for what you do next. If the cause sits in the job, a better breathing technique is only half the answer. The other half is changing the job, alone or with others.
A 90-second desk reset (script)
We wrote this for the moment stress spikes at work: after a sharp email, before a call you're dreading, when the list suddenly doubles. Eyes stay open, so it works in an open-plan office.
Hands off the keyboard. Feet flat on the floor. Breathe in through the nose, about four counts. Breathe out slowly, about six counts. Two more rounds. Let the shoulders drop on each out-breath. Look away from the screen. Find one thing in the distance and rest your eyes on it. Ask: what is the one next step? Not the whole project. The next email, the next sentence, the next call. Write that step down. Then start it.
If six counts out feels too long, use five. More breathing patterns for work, including a 1-minute desk breath, are in our guide to breathing exercises for stress. For a quicker version when you're not at your desk, see how to calm down fast.
How to reduce stress at work: 8 things you can change
Most of these come from the NHS list of stress busters, applied to a working day.
- Take control of what you can. The NHS calls the feeling of loss of control "one of the main causes of stress and lack of wellbeing." Sort today's worries into "I can act on this" and "I can't." Act on one item from the first list.
- Work smarter, not harder. The NHS suggests prioritizing your work, concentrating on the tasks that make a real difference, and accepting "that you will not have time for everything."
- Break big tasks into small ones. NHS Every Mind Matters recommends splitting large tasks into smaller chunks. "Draft the outline" is easier to start than "write the report."
- Take short breaks. A 2022 meta-analysis of 22 study samples (2,335 participants) found that micro-breaks of up to 10 minutes gave small but significant boosts to vigor and reductions in fatigue. Their effect on performance was not significant overall, so take breaks for how you feel, not to squeeze out more work.
- Reduce interruptions. Turn off notifications for an hour of focused work if your job allows it. Every ping pulls your attention away from the task in front of you.
- Talk to your manager. Bring one or two concrete points and a proposal, for example which deadline could move. Many causes on the WHO list, like workload or unclear roles, can only be fixed at that level.
- Connect with people. "A good support network of colleagues, friends and family can ease your work troubles," the NHS says. Lunch with a colleague counts.
- Don't cope with alcohol, smoking or extra coffee. The NHS is clear: "Do not rely on alcohol, smoking and caffeine as your ways of coping."
End the workday on purpose
When work follows you home, the evening stops being a break. Researchers call the opposite "psychological detachment": mentally distancing yourself from job-related thoughts during non-work time. A 2017 meta-analysis of 91 study samples (38,124 employees) found that people who detached more reported less exhaustion, better sleep and more well-being. Most of those studies were cross-sectional, so they show a link, not proof that detaching causes the benefits. The same analysis found that higher job demands went with less detachment, which is why it's hardest exactly when you need it most.
A simple closing ritual helps: write down tomorrow's first task, close every tab, and say to yourself "the day is over." Our guide on how to switch off has a 5-minute routine for the end of the day.
Stress at work and your employer
Stress at work is not only your job to fix. The WHO recommends that employers act on working conditions directly, train managers to recognize distress, and involve workers in decisions. In many countries employers have legal duties around health at work, including mental health. What applies to you depends on your country and contract. This page is information, not legal advice; a staff representative, union or your country's occupational health authority can tell you more.
Stress or burnout?
Burnout gets used for any bad week, but it has a narrower meaning. The WHO's classification (ICD-11) describes burn-out as "a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed," with three dimensions: feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion, increased mental distance from or cynicism about your job, and reduced professional efficacy. The WHO states it is "not classified as a medical condition" but an occupational phenomenon.
What that means for you: don't diagnose yourself with an online quiz. Long-lasting exhaustion can come from burnout, depression, a physical illness or something else, and each needs a different response. If you feel drained most of the time, talk to a doctor. No app, including ours, treats burnout.
Sessions for the workday in the app
AI Meditation: Sleep & Calm has sessions that fit into a working day. Durations are the app's own estimates at the default pause length:
- Mini-Reset: Arriving and Relaxing (about 6 to 10 minutes) is a short arrival plus a small progressive muscle relaxation for hands and shoulders. Good at the desk or in a quiet room.
- A View Through the Window: A Mindful Mini Pause (about 5 to 10 minutes) is described in the app as "work-friendly": you rest your gaze on a point outside or in the room.
- Letting Go of Stress (about 8 to 13 minutes) uses exhale-focused breathing and small body check-ins, "ideal for full days, before meetings, or as a break in between," as its description says.
- After-Work Reset: Downshifting After a Full Day (about 5 to 8 minutes) is for the transition from work to evening: orienting, releasing tension and a clear inner closing.
- Understanding Stress and Overload (about 10 to 13 minutes) is a knowledge session, not a practice. It explains why ongoing stress is often tied to missing recovery and little control.
You can adjust a session's length within its range before you start. The voices are AI voices. There's also a daily meditation written by AI after a short check-in, where you can say what's going on at work. See how the app works, try it for free, no account needed.
For more on fitting practice into the workday, see our guide to meditation at work. For pressure that comes in waves, like deadlines and reviews, how to stay calm under pressure has a three-phase plan.
When to get help
Stress at work is common. It's a reason to get help when it lasts for weeks, affects your sleep, your health or your relationships, or when the things you try yourself don't help. The NHS advises seeing a GP if you're struggling to cope or self-help isn't working, and says: "If stress is affecting your daily life, contact NHS 111 or talk to a GP." Outside the UK, your family doctor is a good first contact.
Your health
This app is a wellness app and does not replace medical advice. It is not a treatment for burnout, depression or anxiety. If stress, exhaustion or low mood last for weeks or affect your day, talk to a doctor. In an emergency, call your local emergency number. The NHS page on stress lists symptoms, self-help and when to get help, and the WHO explains how burn-out is classified.
Sources
All pages accessed on September 25, 2026.
- NHS: Stress (page last reviewed March 6, 2026). Symptoms, self-help, when to see a GP.
- NHS: 10 stress busters (page last reviewed June 26, 2026). Taking control, working smarter, support network, alcohol, smoking and caffeine.
- NHS Every Mind Matters: Stress. Breaking tasks into smaller chunks, when to get help.
- World Health Organization: Mental health at work (fact sheet, September 15, 2026). Risks to mental health at work, what employers should do.
- World Health Organization: Burn-out an "occupational phenomenon": International Classification of Diseases (May 28, 2019). ICD-11 definition and status.
- Albulescu P, et al. "Give me a break!" A systematic review and meta-analysis on the efficacy of micro-breaks for increasing well-being and performance. PLOS ONE, 2022. Vigor, fatigue and performance.
- Wendsche J, Lohmann-Haislah A. A Meta-Analysis on Antecedents and Outcomes of Detachment from Work. Frontiers in Psychology, 2017. Definition of detachment, links with exhaustion, sleep and job demands.
