A key aspect of maintaining a healthy mindset is managing our stress levels.

A small amount of stress can help to motivate us, but too much stress can be overwhelming, and chronic stress can put a strain on both our mental and physical health.

When we’re exposed to a sudden threat, either physically or mentally, our body engages in a ‘fight or flight’ response. This causes an increase in blood pressure, pulse rate, breathing rate, and blood flow to the muscles.

This stress response system works well in short-term stress. It gave us an evolutionary advantage by enabling us to run from predators. Then, once we were out of danger, our body would return to its normal, relaxed state.

But nowadays, daily life stressors can continually trigger this ‘fight or flight’ response, which over a prolonged period of time can put a strain on our body.

When the stress response is initiated in the body, stored glucose is released into the bloodstream so our muscles can use this for energy. However, if we don’t actually use this glucose to power our muscles to run away from danger, it means our blood glucose levels remain high.

Chronic stress has therefore been associated with many adverse health outcomes due to the continued activation of our stress response.

The 'Stress bucket' is a reflective tool we can use to visualise our stress levels and identify our triggers and coping strategies.

In this analogy, the water inside the bucket represents our ‘level of stress’, and the tap that pours water into the bucket represents our ‘stressors’ - in other words, the things that are causing us to feel pressure, worry, anxiety, or tension.

We all have different experiences of stress. Life may have already put water in our bucket from stressful early experiences or major life events, which can then limit our capacity to deal with additional stress.

As we experience more stress in our day-to-day life, the water level in the bucket rises. Ideally, we want to try to keep the water at a normal or relaxed level.

At the bottom of the bucket is a tap to let water out, preventing the level from rising too high. The strategies we use to manage our stress are our ‘taps’.

Without effective coping strategies (i.e. our ‘taps’), the bucket will fill up and overflow, leaving us feeling overwhelmed with stress.

If our stress bucket is always very full (perhaps if we have a high-stress job or are a full-time carer for a loved one), then even small things can trigger the bucket to overflow.

This is why it’s so important to have coping mechanisms that can help to regularly empty the bucket and lower our stress levels.

Use the template and instructions below to create your own personal ‘Stress bucket’.

What’s making you feel pressured, tense, worried, or anxious? You may like to draw upon past experiences or base these on the present moment.

Be mindful that you don't have to place all your stressors in the bucket, you might like to focus on one area of your life that’s causing more stress than others.

How full is your bucket on a day to day basis? Is this a level you’re comfortable with or would you like to reduce it?

What are the signs that your bucket is getting too full? In other words, how do your feelings or actions change when you’re overwhelmed with stress. Are you able to recognise these signs?

Learning to identify the times when we have too much stress in our life is important so we know when to use our coping mechanisms.

Coping mechanisms (i.e. your 'taps') can be anything that promotes relaxation and calmness in your body.

These will be unique to each of us and also dependent on the situation we’re in at the time. For example, it may not always be appropriate to go out for a walk, so instead you could take a couple of minutes to practice some deep breathing techniques or play your favourite song.

It’s also important to assess whether all of your taps are working and whether they’re the most effective way to manage your stress.

Perhaps you often reach for comfort food, which is only effective at relieving your stress in the moment. Instead, there might be more long-lasting stress relieving practices you could try like journaling, exercise, or meditation.

Next time you’re faced with a stressful situation, acknowledge what’s caused the water to rise in your bucket and identify what taps you can use to reduce this level.

Your 'Stress bucket' can contain any area of your life that contributes to feelings of stress and anything you find useful for coping. It’s likely that everyone’s stress bucket will look very different, and that’s ok.