03/12/2026
Strategies to help with stress - which will help with pain.
The Stress Leaky Bucket Model
Ever felt like stress is pouring into your life like water from a leaky bucket?
The Stress Leaky Bucket model by Brabban and Turkington - helps to explain how stress fills up our buckets and how we can keep them from overflowing.
Imagine your mind as a bucket, and stressors are like drops of water filling it up
Everyone's bucket is different, but we all have limits to how much stress we can handle before it spills over.
When our buckets overflow, it can lead to feeling overwhelmed or anxious.
This in turn increases our pain levels.
Identify Stressors:
Recognize what's filling up your bucket. Is it work, school, relationships, or
other things?
Bucket Size: Understand your limits. How much stress can your bucket handle before it starts to overflow?
Implement Coping Strategies to help. Look for ways to create holes in your bucket. What helps you feel better when stress is piling up?
Here are some Stress-Busting Techniques that you can try.
Grounding Techniques:
Focus on the present moment by engaging your senses. Actively look for 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste.
Or you can try a BREATHING EXERCISE. Incorporate box breathing to promote relaxation.
Start with a 4 count of breathing in... hold your breath for a count of 4...
exhaling for 4... And hold after your exhale for a count of 4.
If that breath seems to be too long you can adapt it to a 3 count.
Create Positive Boundaries: This can help when individuals are a stressor or trigger.
These are just some things you can do. You can also implement different things that you enjoy.
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