Stress Awareness Week 2024

This working week – the 4th to the 8th of November – is Stress Awareness Week 2024.

Stress is one of the most impactful mental health conditions in the UK today, in fact – according to recent statistics – 11% of adults say they feel stressed every single day. A further 24% of people say they have symptoms of stress for more than half of each month, and the most common cause of the condition is work-related pressure.

What is stress?

Although it is often described as a mental health condition, stress also includes a person’s physical reaction to feeling threatened or pressurised. It is a natural response designed to protect us from danger or harm, which is why it can briefly make us more focused, energised and productive. This is the reason why we may feel stressed when rushing to meet a big deadline or the day before a dream job interview; our bodies try to prepare us for a situation that we know is important, which can sometimes give us the little boost needed to get over the finish line.

Problems arise, however, when we are subjected to extended periods of stress and the symptoms become acute (with severe symptoms lasting for hours or weeks at a time) or chronic (with severe symptoms lasting for a vastly extended spell). Around 17 million work days every year are lost because of ill health caused by stress, and employers have a duty of care to ensure work-related stress is included within risk assessments.

What causes stress?

Stress can arise for a whole host of reasons but is generally triggered by a change of circumstance that we do not feel we can manage. Financial worries, physical illness, car accidents, family bereavements and changing work duties are just a few examples of life events that could trigger stress.

Where can I find out more?

We strongly recommend paying a visit to the official website of the mental health charity, Mind. Here you can find tonnes more advice, guidance and signposting on what to do if you feel you, or someone you know, is suffering from stress.