Managing stress at work and in your studies

Signs and sources of stress, a breathing exercise, sleep routine, learning to say no, staying calm before exams and interviews, burnout and a 7-day plan.

Sleep disappears as an exam approaches, every mistake feels frightening in a new job, and work, study and housework pile up until there is no energy left by evening. These are familiar situations, and they share a common name: stress. In this guide we explain in plain language what stress is, how to tell helpful stress from harmful stress, what its signs are and where it most often comes from at work and in your studies. Then we move on to practical techniques: a breathing exercise, short breaks and movement, a sleep routine, screen time, a “within my control and outside my control” list, talking to people close to you, saying no, perfectionism and a mood diary. We also cover what to do before an exam or a job interview, how to spot burnout and when it is time to see a professional. At the end you will find three real-life examples, common mistakes, a 7-day plan and a checklist.

Important. This article offers general advice and self-help techniques. It does not replace medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. If your situation is serious, goes on for a long time or frightens you, see a doctor or a psychologist.

What stress is: helpful and harmful stress

Put simply, stress is your body and mind saying “this matters, act”. When you face a difficult task, a deadline or uncertainty, your heart beats faster, your attention narrows to one point and your body gets ready for action. This is a natural process and not an illness in itself.

Helpful stress

A certain amount of nervousness can be useful. Slight nerves before a presentation push you to prepare, and worry before an exam makes you revise. This kind of stress is short-lived, tied to a specific event, and once the event is over your body calms down quickly.

Harmful stress

The problem begins when stress goes on for a long time and there is no chance to rest. One deadline ends and the next one begins, you keep thinking about work in the evening and cannot unwind at weekends. At that point stress no longer helps; instead, it slowly eats away at your energy, mood and attention.

To feel the difference, ask yourself two questions: “When will this pressure end?” and “Will I have time to recover afterwards?” If the answers are “not sure” and “no”, it is worth setting aside time to manage your stress.

Signs of stress and its main sources

How stress shows up

Stress looks different in everyone, but there are common signs:

Disrupted sleep. Trouble falling asleep, waking up often during the night or, the opposite, sleeping a lot and still not feeling rested.
Irritability. Small things get on your nerves, you snap at people close to you and regret it later.
Tiredness. Feeling drained from the morning, with simple tasks feeling heavy.
Poorer concentration. Reading the same page over and over, forgetting things, finding decisions hard.
Changed habits. Eating more or less than usual, losing lots of time to aimless scrolling, wanting to withdraw from people.
Tension in the body. Stiff shoulders and neck, a clenched jaw, frequent headaches.

These signs can have other causes too. So if they last a long time, do not conclude on your own that “it is stress”; see a doctor and find out the cause.

The main sources at work and in your studies

To manage stress, you first need to know where it comes from. The most common sources are:

Deadlines. When the due date for an assignment, report or project is close and there is still a lot to do.
Exams. Especially when university admission, a grant or future plans depend on the result.
A new job. A new team, unfamiliar rules and the doubt “will I cope?”
The load of work and family. When work, study, children, caring for parents, guests, weddings and family gatherings all fall at the same time.
Money worries. Constant thoughts about expenses, debts or an uncertain income.
Job hunting. Applications left unanswered, rejections and periods of waiting.

Write your own sources down on paper. Sometimes that alone brings relief: the vague feeling that “everything is hard” turns into a concrete list, and a list is something you can work with.

Techniques that help straight away: breathing, breaks and movement

A simple breathing exercise

When nerves build up, breathing becomes fast and shallow. Deliberately slowing your breath helps many people calm down. A simple method:

Sit comfortably and relax your shoulders.
Breathe in through your nose for 4 seconds.
Hold your breath for 4 seconds.
Breathe out slowly through your mouth for 6 seconds.
Repeat several times, for roughly one or two minutes.

What matters is that the out-breath is longer than the in-breath. If holding your breath feels uncomfortable, shorten that step or skip it; the exercise should feel pleasant. If you feel dizzy, stop and breathe normally. You can use this technique before walking into an exam room, before an important call or before going to sleep.

Short breaks

Working for hours without stopping tends to increase tiredness rather than results. After each large block of work, take a break of a few minutes: stand up, go to the window, drink some water. How to fit breaks into your work plan is covered in detail in the article on time management.

Movement

Physical activity is one of the simplest ways to release tension. You do not need a gym: a walk around the mahalla after dinner, getting off one stop early and walking, taking the stairs, some gentle stretching. Regularity is what counts. If you have any health restrictions, check with your doctor which kind of activity suits you.

Daily habits: sleep, screen time and breaking tasks down

A sleep routine

A tired person feels stress more sharply. To sleep better:

Go to bed and get up at roughly the same time every day, weekends included.
Set aside time to “wind down” before bed: close your work email and dim the lights.
Cut back on coffee and energy drinks in the second half of the day.
If anxious thoughts keep you awake, write them down and set them aside with “I will look at this tomorrow”.

Screen time

Your phone can be both a way to relax and a source of stress. News, work chats and the endless social media feed do not let your mind settle. Before bed, leave your phone in another room or switch on “Do Not Disturb”. Make a habit of muting work chats once the working day is over. Step-by-step instructions for setting up notifications are in the article on staying focused, so we will not repeat them here.

Breaking tasks down and setting priorities

A big task, such as “write my dissertation” or “prepare the report”, is daunting before you even start. Break it into small, concrete steps: “make a reading list”, “write an outline of the first chapter”. Cross out each step as you finish it; this brings back a sense of control. To decide what should come first, use prioritisation methods.

Thinking and relationships

The “within my control and outside my control” list

Much of our stress comes from thinking about things we cannot change. Divide a sheet of paper in two. On the left write “Within my control”, on the right “Outside my control”. For example, before an exam: on the left, “revise two topics every day”, “go to bed early”, “find out in advance where the exam is held”; on the right, “which question I get”, “the examiner’s mood”. Spend your energy on the left-hand column. When you catch yourself thinking about the right-hand one, remind yourself: “this is not in my hands”.

Talking to people close to you

Many people keep their problems to themselves, “so as not to bother anyone” or “so as not to look weak”. Yet simply telling someone you trust, whether your spouse, a friend, a sister or a mentor, lightens the load. You do not have to expect a solution from them; sometimes it is enough to ask them just to listen. You can also agree as a family to share out the housework differently or to keep one evening purely for rest.

Saying no

Agreeing to every request seems polite, but in the end you run out of time and energy. Saying no is not rude. Some gentle ways to put it:

“Thank you for thinking of me. I am finishing another task at the moment, so I will not manage it this week."
"I cannot do it today, but I can help on Thursday."
"If I take this on, which of my current tasks should I put back?”

The last one is especially useful when a manager hands you a new task: it makes your workload visible and helps you set priorities together.

Perfectionism

The demand that “everything must be perfect” often delays work and adds to stress. Ask yourself: “What does a good enough result look like for this task?” For an internal report, one clear and tidy version may be enough; there is no need to rewrite it ten times. Making mistakes is part of learning, especially in a new job or a new subject.

A mood diary

Every evening, take a minute or two to write three things in a notebook or in your phone’s notes: your mood that day (for example, a rough score from 1 to 5), what bothered you most and what helped. After a week or two, patterns start to appear: for example, irritability goes up on days when you slept little, or your mood improves after a walk. The diary can also be useful later if you talk to a professional.

Exams, job interviews and burnout

Before an exam

Do not leave revision to the last night: spread the material over several days and draw up a revision plan.
On the night before the exam, sleep rather than study until morning; a tired brain may fail to recall even what it knows.
Get your documents, pen and everything else ready the evening before, and leave home early.
If your nerves rise in the exam room, do the breathing exercise. Answer the questions you know first and come back to the hard ones later.

Before a job interview

Nerves before an interview are natural; they show that the job matters to you. The best way to reduce them is preparation: read about the company, prepare a short story about yourself and practise answers to common questions out loud. A detailed plan is in the article on preparing for an interview. On the day, arrive early and take a minute or two of slow breathing before you go in.

Burnout

Burnout is a state that develops after working for a long time under too heavy a load without rest. Its signs differ from ordinary tiredness:

your energy does not come back even after the weekend;
work that used to interest you now leaves you indifferent or even repelled;
a feeling that “whatever I do, it makes no difference”;
withdrawing from people and colleagues, with growing irritability.

At this stage one day off may not be enough. You need to look again at your workload: talk to your manager about your tasks, plan some leave, limit work in the evenings and at weekends, and ask for help at home. Treat rest not as “idleness” but as part of the job. If the signs do not go away, see a professional.

When to see a professional

Self-help techniques are useful for mild, temporary stress. But they are not always enough, and asking for help is not a sign of weakness. Turn to a doctor, a psychologist or someone close to you whom you trust if:

low mood, anxiety or sleeplessness have not eased for several weeks;
your state is getting in the way of daily life: you cannot go to classes or work, cannot manage simple tasks or have withdrawn from people completely;
physical symptoms (headaches, a racing heart, loss of appetite) are worrying you; a doctor should find out their cause;
you are turning more and more to alcohol or other harmful habits to ease the stress.

If you have thoughts of harming yourself or of not wanting to live, do not carry this alone. See a doctor or a psychologist straight away, tell someone close to you whom you trust and ask them to stay with you. In an emergency, call emergency medical services. If someone close to you shares thoughts like these, take it seriously, do not leave them alone and help them reach a professional.

This article gives no recommendations on medication, diagnosis or treatment; such decisions are made only together with a professional.

Three real-life examples and common mistakes

The examples below are illustrative and the names are made up.

Madina: a student preparing for an exam

Madina is in her final year at university, with a state exam ahead. For the past few weeks she has been going to bed late and drinking several cups of coffee a day, and in the mornings she cannot concentrate. She made a “within my control” list: spread the topics across the days, go to bed at the same time every night, stop drinking coffee in the evening. In the right-hand column she wrote “which exam card I draw” and began to think about it less. She agreed with a classmate to spend half an hour every evening quizzing each other. On the day of the exam she did the breathing exercise before entering the room.

Farrukh: a new employee

Farrukh started a new job at a logistics company. Afraid of making any mistake, he kept an eye on the work chat even in the evenings and was too shy to ask questions. After a week he noticed a pattern in his mood diary: the hardest days were the ones when he kept his questions to himself. He asked his manager for a short meeting, clarified what was expected of him in the first month and began muting the work chat after working hours. The article on your first month at work is also useful for settling into a new job.

Zarina: a working and studying mother

Zarina is a mother of two who works during the day and studies part-time in the evenings. She constantly felt tired and irritable. After a talk with her husband, they set aside two evenings a week for her studies; on those evenings he puts the children to bed. When relatives asked her to help with yet another family gathering, Zarina replied gently but clearly: “I will not manage it this week.” She let go of the idea of a “perfect home”, agreed to make a simpler dinner now and then, and started taking a short walk with the children every evening.

Common mistakes

Hiding stress. Keeping everything inside and saying “all is fine” makes the load heavier and cuts you off from help.
Relying on coffee and energy drinks. They mask tiredness for a while but disrupt sleep, and the next day is even harder.
Working at night. The hours you gain at the expense of sleep come back the next day as slowness and mistakes.
Changing everything at once. Trying to start a new life in a week becomes a source of stress too. Begin with one or two habits.

A 7-day plan and checklist

A practical 7-day plan

Day 1. Write down your sources of stress and start a mood diary.
Day 2. Make your “within my control and outside my control” list.
Day 3. Do the 4–4–6 breathing exercise twice a day: in the morning and before sleep.
Day 4. Set a bedtime and a wake-up time, and leave your phone away from the bed in the evening.
Day 5. Break your biggest task into small steps and complete the first one.
Day 6. Say a gentle “no” at least once, or tell someone close to you how you are feeling.
Day 7. Read through your diary: what helped and what did not. Choose two habits for the following week.

Checklist

My sources of stress are written down on paper.
I know a breathing exercise to use when my nerves rise.
Every day includes short breaks and a little movement.
My sleep times are roughly the same, with no coffee or energy drinks in the evening.
Big tasks are broken down into small steps.
I can say a gentle “no” when I need to.
I have talked about how I feel with at least one person I trust.
I know when to see a professional.

One more reminder: the advice in this article is general and does not replace medical care. If stress goes on for a long time, gets in the way of daily life or you have thoughts of harming yourself, turn straight away to a doctor, a psychologist or someone close to you whom you trust, and in an emergency call emergency medical services.

New skills also bring confidence and calm. If you would like to learn a profession or build your knowledge systematically, take a look at our association’s free training programmes. When you are ready, submit an application and our specialists will get in touch.