April 2025 – Stress Awareness Month
What Is Stress, Really?
April is Stress awareness week. Stress is part of life and is a natural response to a perceived threat. It triggers the body’s “fight or flight” system, helping us react quickly in a crisis. While this can be helpful in short bursts, prolonged or chronic exposure to stress can take a real toll on our mental and physical health.
So, how does stress show up:
Irritability or mood swings.
Sleep disturbances.
Difficulty concentrating.
Fatigue or burnout.
Physical symptoms like headaches, stomach issues, or muscle tension.
Withdrawing from friends, family or colleagues.
We often carry stress silently, pushing through our day, trying to appear fine on the outside. But underneath, we may be overwhelmed, anxious, or simply exhausted.
Common Causes of Stress
Stress looks different for everyone, but common causes include:
Workload and deadlines
Relationship pressures
Financial uncertainty
Health concerns
Life transitions (such as retirement, bereavement, separation, or becoming a parent)
How Can We Manage Stress Better?
We can’t eliminate stress entirely, but we can change how we respond to it. Here are some practical strategies:
Acknowledge it
Denial doesn’t help. Recognising and naming stress is the first step toward managing it.
Talk about it
Whether it’s with a friend, colleague, manager or counsellor, sharing how you feel can be a powerful release.
Set boundaries
Don’t be afraid to say no or to set limits on your time and energy.
Prioritise rest and recovery
Make space for rest, real rest, not just scrolling on your phone. Sleep, nature, downtime, and deep breaths all matter.
Practice self-care
Exercise, a good meal, journaling, or simply doing something you enjoy can re-centre you.
Seek support
If stress becomes overwhelming, professional support can make a real difference. Talking therapies, coaching, or structured wellbeing programmes are not signs of weakness they are acts of self respect.
For Employers: Create a Culture That Cares
As someone with both HR and counselling experience, I’ve seen first-hand how proactive support for mental health can transform teams and organisations.
Employers play a critical role in supporting staff wellbeing by:
Encouraging open dialogue.
Training managers to spot signs of stress.
Promoting flexible working practices.
Offering access to counselling, coaching, and EAPs.
Embedding wellbeing into organisational values - not just ticking boxes.
Final Thought
Stress Awareness Week isn’t just a calendar event, it’s a prompt for change. Whether you’re reading this as an individual, a manager, or someone supporting others, I encourage you to pause and reflect.
What does stress look like in your life right now?
What small changes could help lighten the load?
And if you’re supporting others, remember this: sometimes the most powerful thing you can offer is simply to listen. If you or someone you know is feeling overwhelmed, don’t wait for a crisis. Support is available. As a BACP registered therapist, couples therapist and coach, I offer confidential sessions for individuals and couples navigating stress, transitions, or burnout.