How to Cope with Stress as You Age

aspects of wellness finding balance gratitude self care self-compassion stress relief Jul 20, 2025

How to cope with stress at any age.

Just have to start this blog with Gratitude!

I've been encouraged by my team to read all the lovely comments that have come my way from people who have discovered me through my VWH App, especially via my Blog Posts!

It's so good to know that my words (and my world for that matter), resonate with you.

It can be stressful trying to keep all the plates spinning in the air at once but I've decided to practice and follow my own teachings and to home-in, so to speak, on the Power of Three.

I use this approach a great deal in my teaching. I'd even go so far as to say it's my signature approach to dealing with stress and ensuring I 'discipline my day' and not let things get the better of me.

You see ...

When you bump into someone and ask how they are, they're hardly likely to say

'I'm totally exhausted'

'I'm barely holding it together'

'We're busy patching up the cracks so you don't notice'!

You never know when someone is walking through life, one breath away from admitting they're totally broken.

Stress doesn’t just go away as we get older — in fact, many people find it feels more intense or harder to shake off.

We may feel tense, anxious or 'on-edge' all the time. Sometimes we say we feel as though our thoughts are 'all over the place' and our minds are either racing out of control or stuck in a debilitation fog!

Here’s why that typically happens ...

Changes in hormones (menopause, drop in hormone levels, cortisol surge).
Slower pace of recovery: your nervous system and heart become less resilient.
Unavoidable life-circumstances: caring for family, work stress, health concerns.
Inevitable sleep disruption: becomes more common, which makes coping harder.

What can you do to feel calmer and more resilient?

Tell me please, I hear you say.

Well the first thing to understand is that your thoughts will do as they please but they are just that ... thoughts and only thoughts.

Your mind can become a whirlwind of energetic disruption, for good or bad.

Understanding how to 'rein-it-in', is the most important lesson you can learn.

You will have heard it said before that you can control what you put in your brain but I'd rather you see this as being able to nurture and tame your thought process, so it serves you better and helps you to see how much there is to be grateful for, even when you are not feeling your best.

Engaging your 5 senses.

Sensory awareness is key to anchoring oneself. Studies have shown this to be so ... through (using) sensory engagement as a “teaser” or gateway into deeper practice. FrontiersPMC

While not structured like the common 5–4–3–2–1 format, the study rigorously investigates how focusing attention on separate senses can reduce anxiety and heighten awareness, effectively grounding attention in the moment.

Gratitude is also key.

Start by reminding yourself that whilst your mind is racing, your body needs to feel grounded (as a counter-balance).

We'll look at the 5-4-3-2-1 format in a moment but for now let's keep it as simple as possible.

So, using the 'Power of Three', think of 3 things you can do to yourself or for yourself, as acts of kindness, of self-compassion, consciously engaging your five senses.

I'll start you off as always:

1) Make a cuppa

Make a cuppa, hug the mug and remind yourself to look around you and take in the day (which doesn't include the use of any device at this point).

2) Look up

Open the door, look up into the trees, listen to the birds, take a brisk walk, perhaps even take off your shoes and feel the ground beneath your feet, become aware of your surroundings.

3) Reach for the chocolate

Dark chocolate is best! Allow yourself to eat a piece of chocolate as slowly as possible, making it last and really focus on the taste.

I could go on but ...

Now it's your turn.

(Focus on just a few of your senses if that feels easier or more calming for you, depending on your environment or current state of mind).

What act of kindness can you do for yourself today. Have you thought of your top three already?

Do them now, first and foremost to rein yourself in, because what this does is to make your body feel safe. So your mind may be wobbly but your body is telling you to hold still one moment because it can assure you that you are actually safe at this moment and it's just your thoughts making you feel a little disorientated.

Now think of just how far you've come and look to turn that sense of adversity into advantage!

Be sure also to surround yourself with people who help you thrive. Your cheerleaders; those who have your best interests at heart. You know who they are ... and steer clear of those who suck the energy from you. I'm sure they spring to mind.

How you can help others (this will surprise you).

I know this because it surprised me but even though you may be only just holding it together (even though no one would blame you if you fell apart), you still have the capacity to recognise the same dilemma in others. If you are in the company of someone having a debilitating moment or even a panic attack try this technique:

Stand in front of them and gently ask them to put their hands in yours for a moment (to help them balance), then show them how to rock from their heels to their tip-toes; back and forth. What this does is to help them focus on the present and to remind their body that it is safe to pause for a moment; that things are not as bad as they seem but that their mind is amplifying their thoughts beyond the current reality.

The 5-4-3-2-1 approach.

I actually have some really helpful 'coping cards' that use the 5-4-3-2-1 method that will explain some of my coping strategies further. In this instance though (referring to the 5 senses):

try this simple classic 5‑4‑3‑2‑1 exercise:
- 5 things you see
- 4 things you hear
- 3 things you can feel
- 2 things you can smell
- 1 thing you taste.

You can grab our coping cards here on our App. Simply search VWH (for Virtual Wellness Hub) in either App Store (Apple) or Google Play. I call them our Health & Wellness 'Recipe Cards'.

You'll find them within the 'Feel Good in Five' Free Resource.