Simple Strategies to Reduce Stress and Avoid Overwhelm

by Charlotte Tennant
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Let’s be honest — midlife can feel like a strange place to land. There’s often a lot going on, much of it invisible to other people. Work, relationships, teenagers or adult children, ageing parents, health changes, shifting identity — and then perimenopause arrives, quietly unravelling your usual ways of coping.
If you’ve noticed that stress is harder to shake off, or that your brain feels more foggy than focused, you’re not imagining it, and you’re not alone.
Why it can feel like too much
One of the reasons midlife can feel overwhelming is that your hormones are changing in ways that affect your nervous system, your sleep, and your mood. As oestrogen and progesterone levels fluctuate during perimenopause, the brain’s usual balance is knocked off course. These hormones affect how we manage stress, how clearly we think, and even how calm or steady we feel day to day.
So if you’ve been feeling unusually forgetful, irritable, low on energy or just generally “not yourself,” there may well be a biological reason behind it. And that’s before you factor in everything else you’re dealing with.
The good news is there are some small, gentle practices that can help.

1. Breathe in a way that calms your nervous system
Try Box Breathing — a simple technique often used by people in high-stress roles (like pilots or first responders) to bring the body back into balance.
Here’s how it works:
Inhale for 4 counts
Hold for 4 counts
Exhale for 4 counts
Hold again for 4 counts
Do this for a couple of minutes — even one full cycle can help. It signals to your nervous system that you’re safe, and gives your mind something structured to rest on.

2. Step outside, even briefly
You don’t need to take a long walk or go anywhere special — just stepping outside and noticing the air, the sky, the shape of a tree can be enough. Natural light helps regulate your internal body clock, and even a small dose of nature has been shown to reduce cortisol (the stress hormone).

3. Sleep matters — but so does rest
Sleep can get patchy in perimenopause, and sometimes chasing it only adds more pressure. Focus on creating the conditionsfor rest: dim light in the evening, fewer screens, a cool bedroom, and a wind-down routine that doesn’t involve multitasking.
Even if you’re not sleeping perfectly, regular moments of quiet rest during the day (a quiet cup of tea, closing your eyes for five minutes, doing nothing in particular) can help your nervous system reset.

4. Keep it simple: just three things
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when your to-do list is miles long and your brain isn’t quite firing on all cylinders. Try writing everything down — a full brain dump. Then choose just threethings to focus on today.
Three is manageable. Three gets you moving. Three builds momentum.

5. Move gently, regularly
You don’t have to push yourself to the limit to feel the benefits of movement. Walking, stretching, dancing in the kitchen — anything that helps you feel in your body, not just in your head. Movement helps regulate hormones, supports brain function, and clears mental cobwebs.

6. Eat in a way that steadies you
Midlife brains love steady blood sugar. That means regular meals, protein with each one, and not too much caffeine or sugar on an empty stomach. Omega-3s (think oily fish, walnuts, flaxseeds), magnesium, and B vitamins all support mood and cognitive clarity.
This isn’t about perfect nutrition — just small adjustments that help your body feel supported, not depleted.

7. Be kinder to yourself than you think you need to be
There’s a lot that doesn’t get spoken about when it comes to midlife and menopause. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, it’s not because you’re weak — it’s because you’ve got a lot on your shoulders, and your internal systems are under renovation.
Small acts of compassion towards yourself — doing less, resting more, letting things be imperfect — can change the tone of your whole day.

A gentle reminder:
You are not behind. You are not doing it wrong.
You are moving through a season of change — and it will pass.
You don’t need to fix everything at once. Just one small, kind step at a time.