Stress is an unavoidable part of life, but within a prison environment it is often increased by uncertainty, loss of freedom, separation from loved ones, conflict, boredom, and concerns about the future.

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Learning to manage stress is not about removing things that cause stress or difficult emotions; it is about developing the skills to respond to them in ways that support health, safety, and wellbeing.

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Where Stress Comes From

Stress begins with how we see and think about events rather than the events themselves.

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When we see something as threatening, overwhelming, or beyond our ability to cope, the brain activates the body’s survival system, commonly known as the “fight, flight, or freeze response”.

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Stress hormones are the chemicals that your body releases when it sees something it thinks is a stress, such as adrenaline and cortisol. They prepare the body to react quickly by increasing heart rate, muscle tension, breathing rate, and alertness.

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While this response is helpful in genuine emergencies, remaining in this heightened state for prolonged periods can lead to irritability, anxiety, poor concentration, sleep disturbance, impulsive decision-making, and physical health problems.

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The prison environment contains many things that can create stress. These may include noise, overcrowding, limited privacy, institutional routines, uncertainty about legal matters, conflict with others, separation from family, grief, financial concerns, and adjusting to a new way of living.

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Additionally, many individuals entering custody already have a history of trauma, addictions, mental health difficulties, or adverse childhood experiences, making their stress response more sensitive. As a result, situations that appear minor to one person may feel overwhelming to another.

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The Warning Signs

One of the most important steps in managing stress is recognising its early warning signs. You may notice muscle tension, headaches, racing thoughts, irritability, difficulty sleeping, withdrawing from others, feeling constantly on edge, or becoming short-tempered.  You may also notice changes in appetite, increased cravings, negative thinking, or feeling emotionally numb.

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Identifying these signs allows you to do something before stress escalates into anger, conflict, self-destructive behaviour, or relapse.

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While you cannot always control what’s happening to you, you can influence how you respond to them. The first strategy is learning to regulate your body.

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Take a Deep Breath

Slow belly breathing activates the body’s natural calming system which helps reduce physiological arousal.

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Breathing slowly into the belly for four seconds and exhaling gently for six seconds (note the exhale is longer than the inhale) signals to the brain that the immediate danger has passed. Progressive muscle relaxation, stretching, regular physical exercise, and mindfulness practices can further reduce tension and improve emotional regulation.

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Control Your Thoughts

A second strategy involves managing your thoughts. During periods of stress, the mind often jumps to worst-case scenarios or interprets situations in unhelpful ways that increase distress.

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Common thinking errors include catastrophising (“I can’t cope”), mind reading (“everyone is against me”), or all-or-nothing thinking (“everything is ruined”).

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Learning to pause and challenge these thoughts often reduces their emotional impact. Think about how you may respond to a loved one if they were in your position, expressing similar thinking errors. Replacing unhelpful thoughts with balanced, realistic alternatives promotes clearer thinking and better decision-making.

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Keep Your Own Routine

Maintaining a structured daily routine is another effective stress management strategy, as creating personal routines, where possible, provides a sense of purpose and control. Setting small, achievable goals each day helps maintain motivation and self-efficacy. Achieving even small goals reminds us that progress is still possible despite difficult circumstances.

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Talk to People

Social connection also plays a vital role in managing stress. Isolation often increases distress, whereas supportive relationships can provide encouragement, perspective, and hope. Building respectful relationships with people, engaging positively with correctional staff, participating in educational/rehabilitation or work programs, and maintaining contact with family where possible can all strengthen resilience.

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Focus on Your Health

Looking after physical health significantly influences stress levels. Regular exercise improves mood by releasing endorphins, while adequate sleep supports emotional regulation, concentration, and memory. Eating balanced meals, staying hydrated, and reducing reliance on caffeine where possible can also improve wellbeing. Physical health and mental health are closely connected – improvements in one often benefit the other.

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Remember Everyone Gets Stressed

Finally, it is important to recognise that emotions such as anger, sadness, fear, guilt, or shame are normal human experiences. Difficulties arise when emotions are ignored, suppressed, or acted upon impulsively.

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Naming emotions, discussing them with trusted supports, journalling, practising mindfulness, or using grounding techniques allows emotions to be processed rather than avoided. Remember that emotions are temporary experiences which rise, peak, and eventually subside. They therefore do not require immediate action.

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Resilience is ultimately built through repeated practice of healthy coping skills, even when life remains difficult. Every time you choose to pause before reacting, regulate your breathing, challenge an unhelpful thought, and/or seek support, you strengthen the pathways in the brain that build resilience.

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The more consistently these strategies are practised, the more automatic they become, laying the foundation for healthier choices and a more hopeful future.