Occupational Therapy for Managing Stress

This blog explores how occupational therapists help individuals manage stress through client-centred interventions, activity modification, sensory strategies, and emotional regulation techniques.

Stress is a normal part of life, but when it becomes chronic, overwhelming, or disruptive, it can affect physical health, mental wellbeing, and daily function. Whether it stems from work, family responsibilities, trauma, sensory overload, or mental health conditions, unmanaged stress can leave people feeling stuck, exhausted, and disconnected.

Occupational therapists (OTs) are uniquely positioned to help individuals understand and respond to stress in holistic, practical ways. Instead of focusing solely on symptoms, OTs look at how stress impacts a person’s ability to engage in daily activities, routines, and roles. From there, they develop strategies to restore balance and build resilience.

In this blog, we explore the most effective OT-led stress management interventions. From sensory regulation to cognitive coping, you will see how personalised support can make stress more manageable for children, adults, carers, and people living with disability or mental health conditions.

What Are the Stress Management Strategies for Occupational Therapists?

Occupational therapists use a wide range of strategies to help people identify, understand, and regulate stress. These strategies are always adapted to the person’s age, context, and personal goals.

Key OT stress management strategies include:

1. Routine redesign

OTs help clients rework their daily schedules to include more balance between high-stress tasks and restorative activities. This might involve adjusting sleep routines, building in breaks, or replacing draining tasks with meaningful ones.

2. Sensory modulation

OTs assess how individuals respond to sensory input, such as noise, light, or touch, and provide tools to calm or alert the nervous system. For example, a child who becomes overwhelmed in noisy environments might benefit from noise-cancelling headphones and a sensory retreat plan.

3. Cognitive reframing and mindfulness

Using evidence-based mental health techniques, OTs help clients notice unhelpful thought patterns and replace them with more supportive ones. Mindfulness, grounding techniques, and body scanning are often included.

4. Coping strategy training

This includes teaching and practising skills like deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, emotion naming, and using visual tools to recognise stress levels.

5. Graded exposure and activity scheduling

OTs work with people who avoid certain tasks due to stress or trauma, gradually reintroducing these tasks in safe, supported ways. This is especially useful in mental health recovery and return-to-work planning.

6. Psychoeducation

Clients learn about the physical and emotional effects of stress, how it shows up in their behaviour, and what tools are available to manage it long term.

Stress management in Occupational Therapy is not generic; it is functional, personal, and empowering.

What Are the Interventions for Occupational Stress?

Occupational stress refers to the strain people experience from their job, caregiving role, or daily responsibilities. OTs support individuals experiencing burnout, compassion fatigue, workplace anxiety, and stress from role overload.

Common OT interventions for occupational stress:

1. Activity analysis

OTs help clients break down their tasks and identify which ones contribute to overwhelm, inefficiency, or physical strain. From there, tasks may be modified, eliminated, delegated, or approached differently.

2. Energy conservation and pacing

This approach helps people prioritise their time and energy, reducing the “boom and bust” pattern of overexertion and collapse. It is especially important for carers, health workers, or people with chronic fatigue or long-term illness.

3. Ergonomics and work environment modification

Stress often stems from physical discomfort, sensory overload, or lack of control in the workplace. OTs suggest environmental changes such as lighting, desk layout, noise management, or rest areas.

4. Role clarification and boundaries

OTs help clients recognise when role strain is contributing to stress, particularly when someone is taking on too much at home or work. They can support conversations with employers, family members, or support teams to redistribute responsibilities.

5. Return-to-work support

For individuals on leave due to burnout, anxiety, or trauma, OTs provide graded return plans that ease re-entry into the workplace. This may include adaptive equipment, modified hours, or transitional duties.

Beyond Blue – Workplace Mental Health

OTs work with both employees and employers to foster healthier work habits, reduce risk of relapse, and support sustainable recovery.

Which Is a Common Intervention for Managing Stress?

One of the most widely used and effective interventions OTs apply is sensory-based regulation. This is particularly helpful for individuals who experience stress as a physical, sensory, or emotional overload.

What is sensory-based regulation?

This approach involves helping clients identify their unique sensory profile—how they respond to light, sound, touch, movement, smell, and internal cues—and providing tools to regulate their nervous system accordingly.

For example:

• A person who feels overwhelmed in bright, noisy spaces may benefit from low-stimulus environments, weighted lap pads, or headphones.
• A child who seeks movement when anxious might use trampolines, swings, or fidget tools.
• Someone with trauma-related stress may use breathwork, aromatherapy, or tactile input to ground themselves in the present.

OTs often help clients build a sensory toolkit with items and strategies to use when stress spikes—at school, at home, or in public.

Other commonly used OT interventions for stress include:

• Visual schedules to reduce anxiety about transitions
• Emotion cards or mood charts for recognising and expressing feelings
• Time-out plans or designated sensory retreats
• Graded breathing exercises tailored to the individual’s capacity
• Mind-body integration activities like yoga, tai chi, or mindful walking

Healthdirect – Coping with Stress

These interventions are particularly effective in children, neurodiverse individuals, and those with PTSD, ADHD, or sensory processing challenges. They are also powerful tools for adults managing stress in everyday life.

What Are Examples of Occupational Therapy Interventions?

Occupational therapy interventions for stress are always activity-based and client-centred, aiming to restore balance across work, self-care, and leisure.

Practical examples of OT interventions for managing stress:

1. Creating a balanced routine plan

OTs help clients redesign their day to include physical activity, social contact, rest, and meaningful engagement. This prevents burnout and promotes emotional stability.

2. Teaching stress monitoring tools

Clients may track their energy, mood, or stress levels using visuals, apps, or paper diaries, allowing them to identify patterns and triggers.

3. Introducing sensory self-care practices

This might include aromatherapy, massage balls, nature exposure, or warm showers, whatever helps that individual down-regulate from stress.

4. Skill-building through role play and simulation

To build confidence and reduce anxiety, OTs may role-play social or workplace scenarios. This is especially useful for clients with social anxiety or those returning to work after trauma.

5. Environmental restructuring

OTs help individuals adapt their homes, workspaces, or schedules to reduce cognitive load and sensory overstimulation.

6. Community participation support

Engaging in meaningful group activities such as gardening, art, volunteering, or gentle sport builds self-efficacy, reduces isolation, and strengthens stress resilience.

Australian Government – Mental Health & Wellbeing

Occupational therapy treats the whole person, helping them function better in their environment. It does not just suppress stress, it builds confidence, control, and self-compassion.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Can occupational therapy help with anxiety?

Yes. OTs use cognitive, sensory, and behavioural strategies to help individuals manage anxiety symptoms and reduce avoidance.

Do OTs work with people who have burnout or carer fatigue?

Absolutely. OT is especially valuable in helping carers and health workers regain balance, preserve energy, and restore meaningful routines.

How is OT different from psychology in managing stress?

Psychology focuses on thoughts and emotions. OT focuses on function, how stress affects daily tasks, and how to adapt them for better outcomes. Both fields are complementary.

Can children benefit from stress-focused OT?

Yes. OT can help children develop emotional regulation, sensory coping skills, and resilience, especially those with autism, ADHD, or learning difficulties.

Is this service available under the NDIS?

Yes. Occupational therapy for stress and emotional regulation is often funded under Improved Daily Living or Capacity Building in NDIS plans.

Final thoughts

Stress may be unavoidable, but with the right tools and support, it does not have to control your life.

Occupational therapy empowers people to understand their stress responses, restore balance, and function confidently in daily life. Whether it is modifying your routine, building sensory coping skills, or reworking your environment, OT provides practical pathways to resilience.

Next Steps

Call 1300 731 733 or book online to speak with an occupational therapist about stress management and emotional wellbeing.

You can also:

• Ask your NDIS provider or GP for an OT referral
• Explore our Occupational Therapy Services
• Read more on managing burnout and routine redesign
• Use this blog to support a loved one or carer

Date Published: Wednesday, July 9, 2025