When I was working in a law firm, what surprised me the most was not only how depleted my colleagues were, but how many stressors they were adding to their routine, all in an attempt to manage the general exhaustion. Of course, this isn’t specific to law. They were doing exactly what we are being told everywhere: more input leads to better output. While this works for some of us — the high we get from a long run after a long day feels good, right? — it floods an already saturated system.

If you’re reading this, there’s a chance that this describes the situation you’re in. Always jumping from one thing to another, with a to-do list that gets longer as the day goes. We often hear that the solution is a change of environment, to quit the job that is slowly burning us out or to take a healthy distance from whatever is draining our energy. We might consider it, we might even have a plan for it. But sometimes, for various reasons, we don’t have the choice or the possibility to do it now. We might even simply not want it.

We all know that sleep, good nutrition and movement are the basics of absolutely everything. Nothing here replaces them. It goes without saying that none of this advice replaces counselling or seeking help from your healthcare provider. Think of this as a short, non-exhaustive list of small adjustments — habits that I’ve tested myself — that made a difference in my daily life and my stress management.

1. Watch the lights

This was probably the recurring sign that my nervous system was carrying too much. And it actually makes sense when you understand that light is not neutral. Studies have shown that bright light exposure — the kind most offices run on — produced the highest cortisol levels, your body’s primary stress hormone, compared to all other light. In other words, your body reads it as a signal to stay alert. So, if you’re already drained, turning off the overhead light or swapping your bulb for a warmer one is a small adjustment with a real physiological return.

2. Watch your lunch breaks

If you work in an industry like the one I was working in, it’s likely that your lunch breaks are not only limited in time and frequency, but also in how you’re supposed to take them. Or rather, with who. In a perfect world, we should be able to take time away from work for an hour everyday and do whatever we want with that time. We should be able to have healthy boundaries. But when you’re an associate in a law firm or an employee in a company with a clear vision on what’s acceptable and what’s not regarding your free time, it’s crucial to have strategies that give you a real breather without costing you professionally. First, you can schedule your important appointments at lunch time — that’s the easy one, but you clearly can’t do that every week. If you have the time, schedule lunches outside the office with friends or colleagues you like and try to avoid talking about work. For the rest, a little strategy is necessary. Claim an errand: a pharmacy run, a package to pick up, anything that requires you to physically leave the building. Nobody questions the errand. What you actually do with that time is your own, even if it’s only twenty minutes. These short breaks are important. Not only do they feel like little wins but they are also the time out your nervous system needs from what’s keeping it on edge.

3. Watch your alcohol and caffeine intake

Alcohol should, of course, always be consumed in moderation. But that’s not the point here. Sometimes, even one glass of wine will trigger anxiety the next day, not because of the quantity, but because of the state you’re already in. Even without being a heavy drinker, you’ll probably notice improvement in your stress levels if you avoid drinking during the work week.

Same for caffeine, and this one is harder to give up when you’re running on it or love coffee as much as I do. The problem isn’t the coffee itself, it’s the compounding effect. Cortisol is naturally at its highest in the morning, caffeine amplifies it, and if your nervous system is already under pressure from your day-to-day, you do the math. It’s not about cutting it out, especially when coffee is also a source of joy like it is for me, but rather about being strategic: never on an empty stomach or with a sweet treat, split your intake, have it with protein and fat or simply avoid it when you know you’ll be particularly stressed. Besides, you can find amazing decaf coffee now that almost does the trick!

4. Breathe

I got you with that title and while a good meditation with a breathing exercise is amazing to help regulate your nervous system, it’s not suitable for everyone. What remains true regardless is that we breathe, and we tend to forget to do it properly when we are under pressure. There’s actually a specific breathing pattern worth knowing: the physiological sigh. Two inhales through the nose — the second a short top-up to fully expand the lungs — followed by one long, slow exhale through the mouth. That’s it. Five minutes daily of this practice helps reduce anxiety and improve mood. But you don’t need five minutes, one to three cycles, anywhere, anytime, will already make a difference.

Of course, none of this will change a difficult environment. The point here is to change the baseline from which you face it, to give your nervous system enough room to function even when the context isn’t really on your side. But small adjustments, consistently applied, can help you ease your day-to-day. Balance is not the absence of pressure, it’s what we do with it and how we face it.