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Question: When you’re under stress, how cathartic would it be to be able to tell an annoying client exactly what you think of her, allowing for every colorful swear word you can think of? Or to tell a manager exactly where he can stick his new stretch targets?

Answer: Amazingly cathartic, but incredibly tactless and likely to cost you your job. Thankfully, there are better ways to bust stress – without busting someone’s lip. Here are some great exercises to improve your coping skills:

Exercise 1: Small changes can make a big difference
Take a good look at your lifestyle and work approach. Is there anything you are currently doing that may be increasing your stress level? If so, try to implement some small modifications in your day-to-day habits. For example:

Exercise 2: Know your triggers
Stress acts like tendrils of a vine: if you don’t keep it under control, it will spread all over the place, affecting your work and your relationships. So it’s essential to nip stress in the bud. The first step: Uncover your stress triggers.
Without thinking about it too much, write down 10 things that stress you out at work. Rank each stressor on a scale from 1 to 5 based on how often you are exposed to the stressor, and how much it impacts you in a negative way. When you’re done, multiply your frequency rating by impact rating. Then rank your triggers according to their score. Essentially, the higher the score, the more debilitating the stressor.

Once you know what stresses you out the most, you can either take action to reduce the stressor’s impact (like using ear plugs or noise-cancelling headsets), or develop effective coping strategies (e.g. develop procedures for last minute changes).

Exercise 3: Progressive Relaxation
Now that you have uncovered the most common stressor you face, the next step is to learn how to release that stress in a healthy way. Deep breathing, although seemingly basic, has a significant impact on stress level. Why? Deep breathing is physiologically incompatible with the adrenaline-pumping aspect of stress. This exercise can be done during a break at work, either outside, at your desk, in your car, or in the bathroom.

1. Sit comfortably
2. Focus your attention on the present. You can use a focal point, like the rise and fall of your diaphragm as you breathe in and out.
3. Clear your mind of thoughts. If a thought slips in, let it through without giving it too much energy or attention.
4. Take deep breaths. Breathe in through your nose, slowly counting to 4, and then exhale through your nose slowly counting to 4.
5. With each breath in and out, feel your body get heavier.
6. Continue to breathe in an out, focusing on the rise and fall of your diaphragm. Do this for at least 5 minutes, 10 if possible.