How clinicians handle stress—and help patients do the same

Chronic stress affects everyone, and if left unchecked, it can seriously harm long-term health and well-being. For clinicians, weaving simple stress management techniques into patient care isn’t just helpful—it’s essential for improving outcomes and supporting overall health. Tools like guided breathing, mindfulness, and small lifestyle shifts are easy to teach, though every practitioner has their own go-to strategies.

How do you manage stress, and do you suggest the same strategies to your patients? Log in or sign up to share your approach and see the consensus.

Questions for consult 

 Comments

Key takeaways about stress management techniques for patients: 

• Stress management starts small
  Clinicians often use simple habits like box breathing, mindfulness, and walking outdoors to manage stress. Even brief moments of deep breathing can help reset during a busy day.
  
• What works for you works for patients
  Most practitioners share the same tools with patients, such as breathing exercises, yoga, and mindfulness apps, while framing stress as a universal challenge to make conversations easier.
  
• One size doesn’t fit all
  Not every technique works for every patient. Clinicians encourage starting with activities patients enjoy and building up gradually to avoid adding more stress.
  

Family Practice

"1. Stress is definitely a topic at every health maintenance exam. It’s a nice way to phrase it rather than saying anxiety or depression. Stress is universal, so talking about it and reviewing ways to mitigate it is helpful.

2. Definitely recommend breathing techniques, online apps that help someone remain calm, yoga, exercise."

Family Practice

"1. I use a four-count box breathing regimen in order to help with acute stress management. Otherwise, I will walk outside no matter what the weather in order to get fresh air and exercise. This will help rejuvenate me. Typically, I walk in rural areas where there are no houses, and it’s all forested and wild.

2. I do offer and teach the four-count box breathing to help with acute episodes, and it is a 50-50 chance that it will be received and practiced. For some people, this is not an effective way for them to manage acute stress. Walking is not everybody’s favorite thing to do, so I will ask them what activity or exercise they have found to be most effective in helping them refocus and think of positive things. Then I encourage them to start with that for 10 minutes a week, then 20 minutes, and so forth, increasing the time to where it’s manageable for their schedule. The goal is not to stress them out further or even more, but to make sure that they have a way to work on resolving and assisting with recovery of their stress and anxiety."

Internal Medicine

"1. I am in favor of stress management techniques, but time management is always a problem. Most of us would probably like to involve ourselves in some kind of stress management activity, but find that managing our many responsibilities makes it difficult to find the time.

2. I would rarely get involved with formally counseling a patient about pursuing any particular activity. I do occasionally counsel sedentary patients that they should find a moderately vigorous activity that they enjoy and then do it."

Family Practice

"1. Yes, typically deep breathing, guided breathing techniques. However, I do a lot of anxiety counselling and really work with patients to help them learn how to respond to stressful events differently, especially in relation to relationships.

2. Yes, this is a part of our visit and education."

Rheumatology

"1. Yes, deep and box breathing several times per day, mindfulness, and being sure to engage in some enjoyable hobby or activity at least once per day

2. Yes, recommend the same tools to patients as part of their care plan."

Discover other ways our community manages stress and what techniques they recommend at the full post on Healthcasts.