Pequeños hábitos, grandes cambios: cómo aliviar el estrés
Sep 10, 2026·1 min read·Graded Spanish · word-by-word audio
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El estrés aparece cuando sentimos que hay más amenazas o desafíos que recursos para afrontarlos. En España, el 59% de la población dice tener estrés y el 23% ansiedad, sobre todo entre los jóvenes de 18 a 24 años. Las agendas llenas y las notificaciones constantes no nos dejan tiempo para recuperarnos.
Pastor recomienda también crear momentos de desconexión real de las pantallas y practicar un pequeño chequeo emocional: preguntarnos '¿cómo estoy? ¿qué siento? ¿qué necesito?'. Estas micropausas, que pueden durar desde treinta segundos hasta unos minutos, ayudan a reducir la fatiga y prevenir el agotamiento.
Para mantener estos hábitos, la clave está en hacerlos pequeños y unirlos a acciones que ya hacemos. Por ejemplo, hacer estiramientos justo después de lavarse los dientes o caminar después de comer. Si un día no lo hacemos, no es un fracaso: podemos retomarlo. Como dice Pastor, 'los hábitos se construyen con repetición, no con perfección'.
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Watch out, English speaker
Spanish 'acabar de + infinitive' means 'to have just done something,' but English speakers often mistakenly use it to mean 'to finish doing something.' For example, 'Acabo de lavarme los dientes' means 'I just brushed my teeth,' not 'I finished brushing my teeth.' To express 'finish doing,' use 'terminar de + infinitive' instead.
Spanish 'más...que...' is used for comparisons, similar to English 'more...than...'. However, English speakers may forget that 'que' must follow the comparative, not 'de'. For instance, 'Hay más amenazas que recursos' means 'There are more threats than resources.' Also, 'más' must agree in number and gender when used with nouns, as in 'más libros que revistas' (more books than magazines).
Key vocabulary
estrésm.
stress
“El estrés afecta a muchas personas en el trabajo.”— Stress affects many people at work.
Pattern sufrir estrés to suffer stress
Compare tensión (f.) tension
Plural: estreses
💡 From English 'stress', commonly used in Spanish.
ansiedadf.
anxiety
“La ansiedad puede causar problemas de sueño.”— Anxiety can cause sleep problems.
Pattern sentir ansiedad to feel anxiety
Compare inquietud (f.) unease
Plural: ansiedades
💡 Root related to Latin 'anxietas'.
rutinaf.
routine
“Cambiar la rutina puede ayudar a reducir el estrés.”— Changing your routine can help reduce stress.
Pattern rutina diaria daily routine
Compare hábito (m.) habit
Plural: rutinas
💡 From French 'routine'.
hábitom.
habit
“Los pequeños hábitos diarios pueden cambiar tu vida.”— Small daily habits can change your life.
Pattern buen hábito good habit
Compare costumbre (f.) custom
Plural: hábitos
💡 Cognate with English 'habit'.
pausaf.
break, pause
“Haz una pausa de cinco minutos cada hora.”— Take a five-minute break every hour.
Pattern hacer una pausa to take a pause
Compare descanso (m.) rest
Plural: pausas
💡 From Latin 'pausa'.
agotamientom.
exhaustion
“El agotamiento físico puede ser peligroso.”— Physical exhaustion can be dangerous.
Pattern prevenir el agotamiento to prevent exhaustion
Compare fatiga (f.) fatigue
Plural: agotamientos
💡 Derived from the verb 'agotar' (to exhaust).
despejarv.
to clear
“Caminar me ayuda a despejar la mente.”— Walking helps me clear my mind.
Pattern despejar la mente to clear the mind
Compare aclarar (v.) to clarify
Conjugation: despejo, despejas, despeja...
💡 Prefix 'des-' indicates reversal.
recuperarsev.
to recover
“Necesito tiempo para recuperarme del estrés.”— I need time to recover from stress.
Pattern recuperarse de una enfermedad to recover from an illness
Compare restablecerse (v.) to recover
Conjugation: me recupero, te recuperas, se recupera...
💡 Formed from 'recuperar' plus a reflexive pronoun.
chequeom.
check-up
“Hacer un chequeo emocional cada día es útil.”— Doing an emotional check-up every day is useful.
Pattern chequeo emocional emotional check
Compare revisión (f.) check
Plural: chequeos
💡 From English 'check'.
fracasom.
failure
“No debes ver un mal día como un fracaso.”— You shouldn't see a bad day as a failure.
Pattern sentirse un fracaso to feel like a failure
Compare derrota (f.) defeat
Plural: fracasos
💡 Related to the verb 'fracasar'.
Grammar spotlight
Verb phrase “acabar de + infinitive”
A2
This structure means “to have just done something” and is very common in everyday spoken Spanish. It is formed with acabar de followed by an infinitive.
“acabar de lavarse los dientes”— to have just brushed one's teeth
⚠️ Remember that acabar de is followed by an infinitive, not a past participle.
Comparative structure “más...que...”
A2
This structure is used to compare two things and means “more... than...”. The word que introduces the second item in the comparison.
“hay más amenazas que recursos”— there are more threats than resources
⚠️ Note that que introduces the item being compared; do not use de.
Sentence patterns to steal
El estrés aparece cuando sentimos que hay más amenazas o desafíos que recursos para afrontarlos.
Stress appears when we feel that there are more threats or challenges than resources to cope with them.
más + noun + que + nounYou can replace the nouns with other compared items, e.g. más trabajo que tiempo.
Según la psicóloga María Pastor, bastan pequeños ajustes en la rutina diaria.
According to psychologist María Pastor, small adjustments in the daily routine are enough.
bastar + noun/infinitiveYou can replace the noun with other nouns, e.g. bastan unas palabras.
La clave está en hacerlos pequeños y unirlos a acciones que ya hacemos.
The key is to make them small and attach them to actions we already do.
la clave está en + infinitive/nounYou can replace it with other suggestions, e.g. la clave está en practicar.
Si un día no lo hacemos, no es un fracaso: podemos retomarlo.
If we don't do it one day, it's not a failure: we can pick it up again.
Si + conditional clause, no es + noun: podemos + verbYou can replace it with other situations, e.g. Si fallas, no es el fin.
Como dice Pastor, 'los hábitos se construyen con repetición, no con perfección'.
As Pastor says, 'habits are built through repetition, not perfection'.
Como dice + name, '...'You can replace it with other quotations.
Stress and Mental Health in Spain
Although Spain is known for its relaxed lifestyle, stress has become a prominent issue in recent years. According to the AXA International Mental Health Study, 59% of Spaniards feel stressed, especially young people. This may be linked to factors such as high unemployment and job insecurity. Spaniards value socializing and outdoor activities, which also serve as important ways to relieve stress.