Work-related Stress – Stress awareness week

International Stress Awareness Week 2026 runs from Monday 2 to Friday 6 November 2026, with Stress Awareness Day on Wednesday 4 November 2026.

 

Both events are run and created by the International Stress Management Association (ISMAUK), a UK charity and professional body for stress management, well-being and performance.

 

ISMAUK describes International Stress Awareness Week as “a major annual campaign” to increase public awareness of stress, its impact and the importance of mental health and wellbeing.

 

The 2026 theme is “Shaping the Future of Stress and Wellbeing: Rehumanising the Workplace”. Stress Awareness Day, also known as National Stress Awareness Day, sits in the middle of the week.

 

International Stress Awareness Week is a major annual campaign created and led by ISMAUK to increase public awareness of stress, its impact, and the importance of mental health and wellbeing. The Week brings together employers, wellbeing practitioners, policymakers, educators and communities in a shared commitment to healthier, more supportive ways of working and living.

 

Why do we need a Stress Awareness Week and Day?

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) publishes the statistics related to work-related stress, depression and anxiety every 2 years.  Their most recent data, published on 20^th November 2025 gives the following stats:

 

• 964,000 workers suffering from work-related stress, depression or anxiety (new and long-standing) in 2024/25.

• 1 million working days lost due to work-related stress, depression or anxiety in 2024/25.

Source: LFS, annual estimate, 2024/25

 

• The total number of workers suffering from work-related stress, depression or anxiety in 2024/25 was 964,000, a prevalence rate of 2,770 per 100,000

workers. This rate is statistically significantly higher compared to the previous year.

• In the recent years prior to the coronavirus pandemic, the rate of self-reported work-related stress, depression or anxiety had shown signs of

increasing. The rates in each of the latest three years are higher than the 2018/19 pre-coronavirus level.

• The total number of working days lost due to work-related stress, depression or anxiety in 2024/25 was 22.1 million days. This equated to an average of 22.9 days lost per case.

• In 2024/25, stress, depression or anxiety accounted for 52% of all work-related ill health and 62% of all working days lost due to work-related ill health.
• The most recent data shows that females (3,220 per 100,000 workers) overall had statistically significantly higher compared to all workers (2,580 per 100,000 workers) rate of work-related stress, depression or anxiety and males (1,980 per 100,000 workers) significantly lower.

 

 

The whole paper from the HSE can be found here, https://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/assets/docs/stress.pdf, which shows much more detailed breakdowns within industries, ages etc.

 

Does your HR team check-in with you or do a quick 10 minutes stress check-in on a regular basis?  Or do you have a policy in place to help you if you are finding it harder to cope?

If you are experiencing work-related stress, depression or anxiety how are you coping with this and what do you use to support yourself?

 

As a well-being practitioner in Moorgate and Belgravia in London I have many clients who come to me for various treatments like reflexology, facial rejuvenation and Indian head massage as they find that this is part of their stress/anxiety management toolbox.

This is not an instead-of situation but an as-well as situation (not ‘alternative’ but ‘complementary’) alongside medical treatment and speaking therapies.

I’d love to hear from you about what you do.

 

There is more information about what stress is, how to cope and details about additional help on my previous post, Help, I’m stressed.

 

All content within Calm and Clear Complementary Therapies is provided for general information only, and should not be treated as a substitute for the medical advice of your own doctor or any other health care professional. Calm and Clear Complementary Therapies and Rima Shah are not responsible or liable for any diagnosis made by a user based on the content of the Calm and Clear Complementary Therapies website or blog. Calm and Clear Complementary Therapies is not liable for the contents of any external internet sites listed, nor does it endorse any commercial product or service mentioned or advised on any of the sites. for more information. Always consult your own GP if you’re in any way concerned about your health.