Stress Awareness Month

Key Objectives 

• Provide some learning around what stress actually is 

• Introduce the 2026 Stress Awareness theme: #BeTheChange  

• Promote stress busting tools and techniques around the theme #BeTheChange with a focus on taking action through small, meaningful steps to support yourself and influence the world around you. 

Introduction to the campaign 

Stress Awareness Month has been held every April since 1992 in collaboration with the Stress Management Society as a way to increase public awareness around the causes of stress, tools and resources available and encourage open conversations. Stress levels continue to rise, and many of us are living with ongoing pressure and uncertainty. 

This year’s theme, #BeTheChange, is about taking small, meaningful steps to care for yourself and positively influence the world around you. Inspired by Gandhi’s words, ‘Be the change you want to see in the world’, this theme recognises the power each of us has to shape our own experience of stress and allow that change to ripple outward, through mindful choices, kindness, and compassionate boundaries.  

History reminds us that every meaningful shift in society started with someone who refused to believe they were “too small” to matter. If figures like Gandhi or Martin Luther King Jr. had waited for someone else to act, if they had believed their voice wouldn’t change anything, the world would look very different today. 

Here are some facts:  

• 964,000 workers nationally reported work-related stress, depression and anxiety and 22 million working days were lost to stress (Health and Safety Executive 2024/2025) 

• Recent research from the Trade Union Congress highlights record levels of work-related stress, nearly 8 in 10 Union Safety Reps reported it as the biggest health and safety issue affecting the workplace (TUC, 2025) 

• Women are 25 per cent more likely to report that their job impacts on their mental health than their male colleagues (Health and Safety Executive, 2024/2025). According to the HSE, from the age of 25, stress appears and continues throughout a woman’s working life, with pressure peaking for those aged 25–34 and remaining high at 35–44 years, which are ages when many women are juggling family responsibilities, such as caring for children and elderly parents. 

• Research shows that up to 86% of adults feel stressed at least once a month with 11% experiencing it daily  

• Stress is not a mental health condition itself, but too much stress can easily lead to conditions like anxiety and depression  

• It is thought that stress related illness accounts for over 68 million GP appointments each year in the UK. 

Clearly, stress is a major impact in our lives and we’ve all been impacted by it in one way or another (and a little bit of stress is indeed not a bad thing!). The good news is there’s plenty we can do to mitigate the impact of stress and we are sharing lots of useful tools and techniques in our campaign. 

Causes of workplace stress: 

According to recent HSE statistics from 2024/2025, Doctors and other health professionals, teachers and health and social care workers are all in the top three groups for having statistically higher rates of work-related mental ill health than the all-industry average. 

The main causes are workload, particularly regarding tight deadlines, too much work or too much pressure or responsibility. 

Other factors identified by HSE included a ‘lack of managerial support’, violence and bullying, organisational changes at work and role uncertainty, or not being clear about job purpose and responsibilities. 

Why you should participate: 

Stress affects everyone, but the good news is that you have the power to make a difference. By participating in Stress Awareness Month 2026 and embracing the #BeTheChange movement, you’re not just raising awareness you’re actively reducing stress in your own life and influencing the world around you. 

Research shows that by doing stress busting activities throughout the day we can lower the build-up of the stress hormones in our bodies and keep ourselves out of the chronic stress danger zone. 

How you can be part of the campaign: 

✔ Take Personal Action: Look after your own wellbeing through self-care, reflection and mindful choices 

✔ Make Small Acts Matter: Every action counts. Show kindness, listen or support someone in need 

✔ Share Your Journey: Inspire others by sharing your experiences using #BeTheChange 

✔ Participate in Activities: Join in with simple actions and initiatives that turn awareness into action 

✔ Explore Resources: Use guidance and tools to help you create positive change and reduce stress (see the further support & resources section)  

Exploring common reactions to stress and why it happens 

If you have reflected on what happens to you when you are stressed, you may be experiencing one or more of the stress reactions included in this list – How Stress Affects Us which is completely normal and human. Have a look at the signs in the link and identify the ones you experience.  

This happens because our body is preparing us to either fight, freeze or run away from any danger we might encounter.  

In very simple terms, we have two parts of our autonomic nervous system and one of these parts is always more dominant than the other:  

• The sympathetic: is activated when we are active, energised and under threat, it helps us to move, to respond to danger and to be motivated.  

• The parasympathetic: part of the nervous system is activated when we are in rest and digest mode – sleeping, eating and generally relaxing.  

The key to this is allowing ourselves to rest and recover from each incremental stress we experience in the day to re-set our bodies into our rest and digest states. We need both parts of the nervous system to be working together to create genuine balance. Here is a quote from stress experts Dr Emily and Amelia Nagoski summarising this dynamic: 

“To be ‘well’ is not to live in a state of perpetual safety and calm, but to move fluidly from a state of adversity, adventure, or excitement, back to safety and calm, and out again. Stress is not bad for you; being stuck is bad for you”. 

Stress management solutions: 

• Consider activities such as walking, meditation & mindfulness, yoga, pilates and journalling to support with self-care and managing daily stress levels.  

• Walking is a great way to manage stress, allowing time to pause & reflect, whilst also being important for our physical health to break sedentary behaviour. Spending time in nature is also beneficial for our mental health. Why not try mindful walking and really noticing the sights, sounds and smells around you. Look out for further information about walking as part of our National Walking Month campaign in May.  

• Box breathing: breathe in for 4, hold for 4, breathe out for 4, hold for 4 (Repeat for 1-2 minutes) 

• Incorporate small moments of human/social connection into your day (this is a protective factor against stress) e.g. going for a walk with a colleague, friend or family members, eat a meal together and talk openly and honestly.  

• Consider other key aspects of your lifestyle including sleep quality and healthy meals (see support & resources section) 

• Take a look at this for some more ideas – Starting with You: Simple Ways to Reduce Stress  

Examples of specific actions you can commit to for 30 days throughout the campaign in April: 

Pick one action and commit to it for 30 days; track progress, reflect weekly and celebrate completion.  

• Build a daily stress-reduction habit e.g. a walk, set an email boundary or adding a break in between meetings 

• Challenge a limiting thought that may be holding you back and re-frame it into a positive, actionable statement.  

• Establish three wellbeing micro-habits e.g. 5 min movement breaks, brief reflections or wellbeing check-ins. 

• Connect meaningfully with colleagues weekly 

• Ask yourself one constructive question daily e.g. what is one thing I can influence today? 

• Engage with tools, tips and resources throughout the month (included in the campaign and see the support & resources section at the end). 

Further support & resources: 

• Stress Identification and Management: A Mind, Body & Spirit Approach – click here to watch the recording  

• SHOUT text support line – If you are feeling overwhelmed or need someone to talk to, text EYUP to 85258 for free, confidential support. The service is available 24/7 and connects you with a mental health professional who will listen and help you find a way forward.  

• Hub of Hope – is a national directory of local and national mental health support services. 

Useful resources from the Stress Management Society: 

• Stress Awareness Month Resources 

• Simple Ways to Reduce Stress 

• Individual Stress Test 

• What Is Stress? 

• How Stress Affects Us 

Sleep and nutrition resources: 

• Take a look at the World Sleep Day campaign from March for some sleep tips 

• You can watch back the recording from the recent Cook-along session which took place as part of the International Women’s Day event in March and view the recipe.  

• Menopause Recipe Book – tips and recipes for eating well during the menopause for different ethnicities and nationalities  

• HÄLSA Wellbeing resource page – includes a range of healthy recipes 

• Menopause and Diet – includes 7-day meal plans to reduce menopause symptoms