Stress Awareness Month has been held every April, since 1992 to increase public awareness about both the causes and cures for our modern stress epidemic. Despite this running for 29 years we have got a long way to go.
According to the Mental Health Foundation 74% of UK adults have felt so stressed at some point over the last year they felt overwhelmed or unable to cope.
Millions of us around the UK are experiencing high levels of stress and it is damaging our health. Stress is one of the great public health challenges of our time, but it still isn’t being taken as seriously as physical health concerns.
Stress is a significant factor in mental health problems including anxiety and depression. It is also linked to physical health problems like heart disease, problems with our immune system, insomnia and digestive problems. Individually we need to understand what is causing us personal stress and learn what steps we can take to reduce it for ourselves and those around us.
As part of Stress Awareness Month 2021, the Stress Management Society are encouraging people to take part in the ’30 Day Challenge’.
The 30 Day Challenge asks that you pick one action each for your Physical, Mental and Emotional Wellbeing to carry out every day. You could even add actions for your social and spiritual wellness too.
It takes 30 days to turn actions into habits, which is why this is a month-long programme. The 30-day challenge will maximise your chances of turning useful knowledge and techniques into positive behavioural change.
As a first step, please download and fill in the 30 Day Challenge Calendar and ‘Coping at Home and Keeping Connected Action Plan’ to make your commitments a reality.
Here are some tips for your 30 Day Challenge.
For more resources on Stress Awareness Month, click here.