5 Holistic Strategies to Reduce Workplace Stress and Reclaim Your Energy
Workplace stress. It’s something almost all of us have experienced at one point or another. Some days it’s subtle, a low hum of tension that follows you home, making it hard to relax or sleep. Other days it’s more like a tidal wave that crashes over your energy, your focus, and even your sense of purpose. And yet, most of us are taught to “power through” or “just handle it,” as if ignoring stress somehow makes it disappear. Spoiler: it doesn’t.
As a psychiatrist who works with adults navigating life transitions, anxiety, workplace challenges, and the quest for more meaningful living, I see firsthand how chronic workplace stress can impact both mental and physical health. The good news? You don’t have to accept constant overwhelm as part of the job. There are evidence-informed, holistic strategies that can help you reduce stress, reclaim your energy, and even rediscover a sense of fulfillment in your day-to-day life. In this post, I’m going to share five of my favorite approaches, rooted in both science and real-world practicality, that you can start applying right away.
Mindful Awareness and Somatic Practices: Tuning Into the Present Moment
One of the biggest traps of workplace stress is that it keeps us living in the future or the past. We ruminate on what’s not done, replay mistakes, or obsess about upcoming deadlines. The result? Our bodies are stuck in a perpetual state of “fight or flight,” our minds are racing, and energy drains away faster than we can refill it.
Here’s where mindful awareness and somatic practices come in. These approaches come from the same philosophy behind gestalt therapy, where we pay attention to the here-and-now and connect with our bodily sensations to anchor ourselves. It’s not about forcing calm or pretending stress doesn’t exist, it’s about noticing it without judgment, and learning to respond rather than react.
A few practical ways to integrate this into your workday:
Check in with your body regularly: Set a timer every couple of hours to pause and notice your posture, tension, and breath. Are your shoulders creeping toward your ears? Is your jaw tight? Gently adjust, stretch, or take a few conscious breaths. Even small shifts can reduce accumulated stress.
Micro-meditations at your desk: Even 2-3 minutes of mindful breathing can reset your nervous system. Try inhaling for four counts, holding for four, exhaling for six. Focus on the sensation of your breath entering and leaving your body.
Body scans before or after work: This can be done lying down or sitting comfortably. Slowly move attention from your feet to your head, noticing any areas of tension. Acknowledging these sensations often helps them release.
By regularly practicing somatic awareness, you create a feedback loop: you start noticing stress signals before they become overwhelming, which allows you to take intentional steps to manage them. Over time, this not only reduces stress but also increases your energy, clarity, and emotional resilience.
Lifestyle Interventions: Nutrition, Movement, and Sleep
It may sound obvious, but the impact of lifestyle habits on workplace stress cannot be overstated. I often work with patients who are brilliant, highly motivated, and creative, yet their diet, exercise, and sleep routines are inconsistent. The result? Their bodies are constantly in a low-grade stress state, amplifying anxiety, irritability, and fatigue.
Nutrition:
Your brain runs on what you eat. Simple carbohydrates, sugar-heavy snacks, and caffeine binges can cause energy spikes and crashes, leaving you jittery, anxious, and mentally foggy. On the other hand, a diet rich in vegetables, protein, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates stabilizes energy, supports neurotransmitter balance, and helps your mind cope with stress more effectively. Some specific tips:
Start the day with protein and fiber to avoid mid-morning crashes.
Include omega-3 fatty acids (like salmon or chia seeds) for brain health and mood regulation.
Stay hydrated, mild dehydration can worsen fatigue and irritability.
Movement:
Exercise isn’t just for physical fitness; it’s one of the most effective stress buffers we have. Movement increases endorphins, improves sleep, and enhances cognitive flexibility. And you don’t need to hit the gym for two hours a day to see benefits. Simple strategies include:
10–15 minute walks outside during breaks.
Desk stretches or yoga flows in the morning or afternoon.
Short bursts of strength training or bodyweight exercises to reset energy.
Sleep:
Never underestimate the power of good sleep hygiene. Chronic sleep disruption amplifies stress, impairs decision-making, and makes it harder to recover from daily pressures. Even small changes consistent bedtimes, limiting screens before sleep, and a quiet, dark environment, can improve energy levels and stress resilience.
Taken together, these lifestyle interventions may feel small individually, but their cumulative effect on stress and energy is profound. They help regulate your nervous system, reduce the physiological impact of stress, and give you the mental bandwidth to tackle challenges creatively rather than reactively.
Reframing Your Relationship With Work: Purpose, Boundaries, and Agency
Sometimes stress isn’t just about deadlines or meetings; it’s about how we relate to our work and our sense of self within it. Chronic stress often signals a misalignment between our values, strengths, and the demands of our role. In gestalt terms, this is about awareness: noticing where you feel stuck, disconnected, or powerless, and taking steps to reclaim agency.
Cultivate Clarity and Purpose:
Ask yourself: Does my work reflect what matters most to me? Am I contributing in a way that aligns with my values and strengths? Journaling, career coaching, or therapy can help clarify whether current stressors are situational or a signal to reconsider priorities.
Set Boundaries:
Boundaries are essential for energy management. Saying “no” when necessary isn’t selfish; it’s self-care. Identify your non-negotiables (e.g., no emails after 7 pm, at least one lunch break away from your desk) and communicate them respectfully. Over time, consistent boundaries protect your mental energy and improve work satisfaction.
Practice Micro-Agency:
Even small moments of choice can reduce the feeling of being trapped. Decide the order in which to tackle tasks, schedule brief breaks intentionally, or adjust your environment to better suit your rhythm. These micro-choices increase autonomy and reduce stress.
Reframing work in this way doesn’t require quitting your job or making massive life changes. It’s about cultivating presence, agency, and alignment so that stress becomes something you can manage rather than something that manages you.
Holistic Stress Management Techniques: Breathwork, Mindfulness, and Creative Expression
Beyond lifestyle and boundaries, there are tools specifically designed to calm the nervous system and reconnect mind and body. Many of these practices draw from somatic therapy, mindfulness, and creative arts, which I often incorporate in sessions with patients.
Breathwork:
Conscious breathing helps regulate the autonomic nervous system, reducing the “fight or flight” response. Techniques like box breathing (inhale for four counts, hold for four, exhale for four, hold for four) or alternate nostril breathing can be done anywhere, even at your desk.
Mindfulness Practices:
Mindfulness isn’t just meditation; it’s about bringing awareness to everyday moments. Noticing the taste of your coffee, the sensation of your feet on the ground, or the rhythm of your breath can create pockets of calm in a hectic day.
Creative Expression:
Engaging with music, art, writing, or movement is another powerful tool to process emotions and reduce stress. Creativity stimulates different parts of the brain, enhances mood, and helps release tension stored in the body. Even five minutes of drawing or listening to music intentionally can be surprisingly restorative.
The beauty of these techniques is their adaptability. They can be brief, integrated into your day, and personalized to suit your preferences and energy levels. Over time, these practices reduce baseline stress levels and enhance your capacity for focus, connection, and resilience.
When to Seek Professional Support: Therapy, Coaching, and Psychiatric Care
While these strategies can help most people manage day-to-day stress, chronic or severe workplace stress may require professional support. Therapy, coaching, or psychiatric care can help when stress begins to impact sleep, mood, relationships, or physical health.
Psychotherapy:
Working with a therapist can help you explore patterns of thought and behavior, process underlying stressors, and develop coping strategies that are tailored to your personality and circumstances. Gestalt and psychodynamic approaches are particularly effective for helping you connect with your emotions and body awareness.
Coaching:
Career or executive coaching can help clarify goals, align work with values, and teach practical strategies for workload management and productivity.
Psychiatric Care:
Sometimes stress intersects with anxiety, depression, or other mental health conditions that may benefit from medical evaluation or medication management. Transparency about the potential benefits and side effects of medications ensures you can make informed choices that complement holistic strategies.
Professional support doesn’t mean you’re failing; it means you’re taking intentional steps to safeguard your energy, mental health, and overall quality of life.
Bringing It All Together:
Reducing workplace stress isn’t about quick fixes or temporary hacks. It’s about cultivating awareness, engaging in consistent self-care, setting boundaries, and using tools that support both your mind and body. When integrated thoughtfully, these strategies create a feedback loop that reduces tension, increases energy, and restores a sense of control and fulfillment in life.
Here’s a simple way to start:
Schedule a 5-minute mindfulness or somatic check-in every morning.
Review your diet, movement, and sleep habits; choose one area to improve this week.
Identify one boundary you can set at work to protect energy.
Explore a creative or expressive practice for stress release.
Reflect weekly on what worked and what you want to adjust, and seek professional guidance if needed.
Remember, stress is not a personal failing. It’s a signal from your body and mind, inviting you to slow down, check in, and make changes that honor your well-being. By approaching workplace stress holistically, you can reclaim your energy, your focus, and ultimately, your joy.
Closing Thoughts
Workplace stress is unavoidable, but how we respond to it doesn’t have to be. By integrating mindfulness, somatic awareness, lifestyle interventions, creative practices, and professional support when needed, you can reduce stress while increasing energy, clarity, and resilience. Over time, these practices help transform work from a source of constant tension into a space where you can thrive, create, and contribute meaningfully.
Your energy is valuable. Protect it, nurture it, and remember: small, intentional steps taken consistently often lead to the most profound and lasting changes.
