How to Manage Stress During Difficult Seasons of Life: 6 Compassionate Strategies That Actually Help
Life has its seasons. Some are light, energizing, and expansive, while others feel heavy, uncertain, or overwhelming. Whether you're moving through grief, transition, burnout, or just a chapter that feels particularly hard, stress is often present in these seasons. It can manifest in your body, show up in your thoughts, impact your sleep, and affect your ability to concentrate. And while stress is a normal response to challenges, over time it can chip away at your capacity to cope, connect, and care for yourself.
The good news? There are tools you can use, gently, consistently, and with compassion to help you navigate those hard seasons without losing yourself in the process.
1. Start by Naming What You’re Carrying
One of the simplest and most powerful things you can do is to acknowledge the stress you’re under. When we name what we’re experiencing, we reduce shame, increase self-awareness, and create space for choice.
Try asking yourself:
What feels most heavy right now?
What’s feeling out of my control?
Where is stress showing up in my body?
You don’t have to solve everything in that moment, but naming it gives you a way to ground yourself.
2. Lower the Bar to Meet Yourself Where You Are
In difficult seasons, your energy, attention, and patience may be limited, and that’s okay. One of the most compassionate things you can do is to adjust your expectations to reflect your current capacity.
Ask:
What can I soften or release today?
What’s the most essential thing to focus on right now?
What does "enough" look like today — not ideally, but realistically?
It’s not about giving up; it’s about acknowledging and honoring what you actually have the space for right now.
3. Anchor Yourself in Tiny Routines
When life feels unpredictable, small, repeated actions can help create a sense of rhythm and control.
This might look like:
Drinking a full glass of water first thing in the morning.
Taking 5 deep breaths before a meeting or errand.
Lighting a candle, stretching, or listening to one calming song before bed.
These rituals don’t solve everything, but they do help promote a sense of groundedness, and they remind your nervous system that you’re not completely untethered.
4. Reconnect to What Grounds You
In hard seasons, it’s easy to lose sight of your values — the things that remind you of who you are, what matters, and how you want to show up even when life is messy.
Try asking yourself:
What value do I want to honor today? (Compassion, rest, honesty, presence?)
What’s one small act that reflects that value?
Even in pain or uncertainty, your values can act as guideposts. They don’t erase the stress, but they can offer you direction and meaning.
5. Build In Micro-Moments of Regulation
Stress often accumulates throughout the day, and while you don’t need an hour-long break to reset, you do need micro-moments that let your nervous system breathe.
Try some of the following to cultivate these micro-moments:
Place one hand on your chest and one on your belly while taking 3 slow breaths — inhale through your nose; exhale through your mouth, focusing especially on a long, slow exhale.
Look out a window for 60 seconds and name what you see.
Do a 2-minute guided body scan from head to toe to help re-ground in your body.
Close your eyes for a few moments and focus on what you hear; label it in your mind as each sound arises and passes.
These quick resets help shift your body out of survival mode and back into presence.
6. Know When to Reach Out
Some seasons are more than “just stressful” — they’re depleting, disorienting, or traumatic. If you’re finding it hard to function, make decisions, or feel like yourself, it’s okay to seek out support.
Therapy can be a great space to:
Hold what feels too heavy
Rebuild tools and insight
Restore the relationship with yourself
You don’t have to navigate the hard seasons alone.
A Final Thought
Difficult seasons don’t mean you’re failing; they mean you’re human.
Stress doesn’t always resolve right away, but with the right tools and support, it becomes something you can move through instead of being overwhelmed by. You’re allowed to go slowly — to rest, to adjust, to ask for help.
And even in the hardest chapters, you’re still allowed to care for yourself.
