notmynoise
Practice guide3–5 minutes4 sections

Making Stress Work for You

Begin step 1

Making Stress Work for You is a short visual guide for moments connected to anxiety grounding exercises.

It covers one core idea: regulation is supported by breathing, meditation, social connection, contribution goals, and the experience of awe.

You will select one channel: breath, contact, movement, meditation or nature, then choose what fits next.

The aim is A small reduction in autopilot and a clearer next step.

Edited aspractice guide·4 focused visual steps
Working edition 1Published July 22, 2026Last reviewed August 2, 2026Editorial standardsSuggest a correction
01
A person standing by a bright window, resting one hand lightly near the chest and noticing a slow breath.

Step 1 of 4

Check your starting point: Making Stress Work for You

When anxiety is loud in your body and thinking harder is not helping…

Notice what fits this situation today:

  • Breathing affects arousal
  • Meditation trains your attitude towards stress
  • Communication speeds recovery
  • I am not sure yet—I just want to understand
Next: Regulation is supported by breathing, meditation, social connection, contribution goals, and the experience of…
02
A person standing by a bright window, resting one hand lightly near the chest and noticing a slow breath.

Step 2 of 4

Regulation is supported by breathing, meditation, social connection, contribution goals, and the experience of…

  • Regulation is supported by breathing, meditation, social connection, contribution goals, and the experience of awe.
  • They act through different channels: physiology, attention, belonging and perspective.
  • The tool should be chosen based on accessibility and context.
Next: Select one channel: breath, contact, movement, meditation or nature
03
A person standing by a bright window, resting one hand lightly near the chest and noticing a slow breath.

Step 3 of 4

Select one channel: breath, contact, movement, meditation or nature

  • Pause for a few seconds. Check whether this practice feels safe enough right now.
  • Select one channel: breath, contact, movement, meditation or nature.
  • Notice what changed in your body or thoughts. Do not grade yourself—collect information.

Quick check after the practice:

  • What changed, even by 1%?
  • What stayed the same?
  • What do you need now: continue, stop, or ask someone for support?
Next: Choose a next step: Making Stress Work for You
04
A person standing by a bright window, resting one hand lightly near the chest and noticing a slow breath.

Step 4 of 4

Choose a next step: Making Stress Work for You

You do not have to resolve this whole situation today. You worked directly with “Making Stress Work for You” and chose one possible response.

Choose what fits now:

  • “Save one next step”
  • “Come back later”
  • “I need support from a person”

After this guide

Keep the next step small.

A small reduction in autopilot and a clearer next step.

Back to Body and Basic SupportsChoose another topic

Where to go next

Choose the next useful idea

Choose one if it fits what you need now.

Sources & evidence

Where this guide comes from

The book is the editorial starting point. The research below checks or qualifies the broader ideas used in this guide.

Adapted from

Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?

Chapter 30, “Making Stress Work for You” · source pages 218–227

View publisher record (opens in a new tab)
Written by
Julie Smith (opens in a new tab)Clinical psychologist with NHS and private-practice experience; not a medical doctor.
Edition used
Michael Joseph, an imprint of Penguin Random House UK, 2022 · ISBN 9780241529737
Formal review
The edition does not identify a formal peer-review or clinical-review panel. Publisher praise is not formal review.
Public endorsements — not formal review

Lori Gottlieb (opens in a new tab) — Psychotherapist and author

Editorial limitations of this book source
  • Broad popular self-help reference, not an individualized formulation or treatment plan.
  • Exercises involving exposure, breathing, nutrition, or inward attention are not suitable for every reader.
  • Scientific claims paraphrased for a general audience still need claim-level checking against primary research.
  • The source PDF contains an unrelated and medically unreliable second book after page 308; that material is excluded.

Research context

Supporting and qualifying references

Reviewed 2026-08-04

  1. 01

    Peer Reviewed Meta Analysis · 2021

    Interventions for improving psychological detachment from work: A meta-analysis (opens in a new tab)

    Tina Karabinski, Verena C. Haun, Annika Nübold, et al. · Journal of Occupational Health Psychology · DOI 10.1037/ocp0000280

    What it supports: Interventions can produce a modest average improvement in detachment from work during off-job time.

    Limits and disclosures

    Limit: Average effects are modest and do not substitute for changes to unsafe workloads or working conditions.

    Disclosure: No product-specific conflict identified.

  2. 02

    Systematic Review And Meta Analysis · 2022

    Internet-delivered cognitive behavioral interventions to reduce elevated stress: A systematic review and meta-analysis (opens in a new tab)

    Frank Svärdman, Douglas Sjöwall, Elin Lindsäter · Internet Interventions · DOI 10.1016/j.invent.2022.100553

    What it supports: Structured internet CBT interventions reduced self-rated stress across included randomized comparisons.

    Limits and disclosures

    Limit: Multi-session CBT programs are not equivalent to a single relaxation or reframing exercise.

    Disclosure: No product-specific conflict identified.

  3. 03

    Systematic Review And Meta Analysis · 2014

    Meditation programs for psychological stress and well-being: a systematic review and meta-analysis (opens in a new tab)

    Madhav Goyal, MD, MPH, Sonal Singh, MD, MPH, Erica M. S. Sibinga, MD, et al. · JAMA Internal Medicine · DOI 10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.13018

    What it supports: Mindfulness meditation programs showed small improvements in anxiety, depression, and pain compared with nonspecific active controls.

    Limits and disclosures

    Limit: Heterogeneous programs and populations; limited or insufficient evidence for several other claimed outcomes.

    Disclosure: Independent evidence source; not specific to the books or NotMyNoise.