Human brains are busy. They're constantly scanning, processing, and categorising incoming information, mostly without our conscious awareness. Categorising events as helpful, harmful or neutral determines whether they get bubbled up to conscious awareness, and how the brain signals the body to respond.

Burnout begins with stress, and stress is simply the body's response to the brain's signal to go into action - either because there's an opportunity to go after, or a threat to deal with. That response happens before we’re even aware of it - we only realise we’re “stressed” when the conscious brain catches up. Often what we notice first are physiological changes like shortness of breath, tense muscles, or an increased heart rate.

Regulating stress, therefore, means regulating a physiological response that's already under way before we know it. Not all stress needs to be regulated, of course. Short, sharp bursts are good for us, but chronic stress has serious physical and mental health impacts and needs to be tamed if we want to end burnout.

There are three ways to regulate stress, using the conscious brain, the body or the environment. Together, they make a powerful set of tools for dialling down stress when you need to.

"Top-down" Approaches to Stress Regulation

"Top-down" approaches begin with the conscious brain, applying analytical and linguistic skills to challenge unconscious categorisations that cause unnecessary stress.

A good example is cognitive reappraisal, which challenges our interpretation of situations we initially perceive as stressful. For example, when we’re stuck in traffic, thinking, "this is so annoying—now I’m stuck here forever," will almost certainly result in a stress response. If we can reappraise the situation, for example, "this gives me a rare chance to listen to some music I enjoy," it becomes less stressful, perhaps even enjoyable. It's using the conscious brain to signal to the unconscious brain that everything's ok.

Other suggestions for re-appraisal: "this will make a funny story when I get home tonight"; "this could be worse"; "this is building my ability to be patient with things I can't change."

"Bottom-Up" Stress Regulation Strategies

"Bottom-up" approaches begin with the body, applying deliberate physical techniques to shift the physiological systems that drive the stress response.

Common strategies include breathing techniques and physical exercise. Simple breathing techniques include:

- Box Breathing: Imagine a box in front of you. Breathe in for a count of four, tracing the top of the box. Hold for four, tracing the side of the box. Breathe out for four, tracing the bottom of the box. Hold for four, tracing the final side of the box.

- 4-7-8 Breathing: Breathe in for a count of four, hold for seven, breathe out for eight

- Cyclic breathing: Breathe in through your nose to comfortably fill your lungs, then take a second, deeper breath of air to expand your lungs as much as possible. Then, very slowly, exhale through your mouth until all the air is gone.

The right kind of exercise can also reduce stress. We wrote this article to help sort out what's most likely to work.

Additionally, having a nourishing meal or snack can be a powerful way to regulate stress. Hunger itself is a source of stress, triggering irritability, fatigue, and difficulty concentrating. Good nutrition not only fuels the body and brain, but also regulates the stress response through the simple act of eating. Even chewing gum can help.

Controlled breathing, exercise and eating all signal to the unconscious brain that it's time to stand down the stress response.

"Outside-in" Strategies for Stress Regulation

"Outside-in" approaches begin with the physical or social environment, applying external cues to signal safety.

A physical environment that promotes relaxation, such as a personal wind-down corner at home, can be a simple yet effective way to reduce stress. It doesn’t need to be a large space; just a cozy corner with a favourite cushion, candle or plant will work. When you're in your wind-down space, try to minimize distractions and stressful inputs, particularly work notifications. Try to embrace the relaxation process, which might not come easily at first.

As social animals, we're extremely sensitive to events in our social environment. Social interactions are a significant source of chronic stress for many of us, so it stands to reason that we can also rely on positive social interactions to help us reduce that stress. Time spent connecting with a trusted colleague, friend or family member not only reduces an immediate stress response, but also builds resilience over time.

When the physical and social environment signal that we're safe, the unconscious brain no longer needs to drive the body into action.

Why not all three?

To understand why these strategies work, it's helpful to divide them up: they're each using a different route to persuading the unconscious brain that there's no need for panic.

But in the real world, combining strategies can be very useful. While you're talking to a friend about what's causing you stress (outside-in), for example, try walking while you talk (bottom-up), and take the opportunity to re-appraise the situation (top-down). Using your wind-down corner for a gentle stretch may be more relaxing that simply sitting, or trying to stretch at your desk.

There are limitless ways to mix and match. To beat chronic stress, we'll need all the tools in the toolkit.