Ask HN: Resources to Cope with Stress

Do less.

That's pretty much it but this is what has worked for me.

Remove any commitments you can outside of work. Go home at a reasonable hour. Leave plenty of time for rest and relaxation. Don't check email outside of work. It's ok and important to do nothing and waste time. If you're like me, you have this feeling that you always need to be doing something. That is very detrimental.

Most importantly, your body will tell you when you are stressed. Listen to the signals and take a break. Small breaks during the day are just as important as longer breaks at night and weekends.

Could you be more specific on what is driving the stress? Is it workload, expected results, lack of resource, colleagues etc. This might help peeps give more targeted advice.

- Drink lots of water and exercise daily.

- Friends and colleagues have passed this piece of advice on to me: learn to manage expectations. I am becoming better at doing this. It is not easy.

- Read Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. It helped me look at everyday situations a bit differently. The book becomes a little repetitive, but it is still worth a read.

Pick up a sport. Take midday naps (20-30 minutes max). Cut back on caffeine and alcohol. Have someone to talk to whom you don't work with. Get a dog. Take him or her for a walk when you're feeling stressed. Establish inviolate downtime.

Exercise. I ride my bicycle 20 miles each way to work and back home. Nothing can stay with me over the 2500 foot climb home.

Eat and sleep. Take deep breaths. When you're stressed, you might not realize that your breathing is more shallow.

Hike (a mountain or a city) and take pictures of things that make you happy.