Managing stress for better health, happiness and a stronger business

When we talk about stress, we could be talking about one of two things:

• Situations or events that put pressure on us - for example, times where we have lots to do and think about, or don't have much control over what happens.
• Our reaction to being placed under pressure - the feelings we get when we have demands placed on us that we find difficult to cope with.

Stress is, for all of us, a normal fact of life. We all deal, day to day, with multiple stressors – those mundane daily responsibilities that we juggle every day. Of course, sometimes we also face more significant life events, which can be acutely stressful.

Stress is something that everyone feels sometimes, and many stressful situations are a normal part of daily life. Low-level feelings of stress can even be helpful or motivational.

Stress is the body's reaction to feeling under pressure, threatened, or unsafe. Feeling stressed is common; it isn’t always a bad thing – it can help us meet the demands of home, work, and family life, and can help prevent inertia and keep us motivated.

Too much stress, or persistent stress, can affect us emotionally and physically - especially when it feels that the factors causing stress are out of our control.

Experiencing high levels of stress over a long period of time can also lead to a feeling of mental, physical, and emotional exhaustion, often called burnout.

Like most things, stress affects us all differently. There are some common signs and symptoms¹ you can look out for:

• Feelings of constant worry or anxiety
• Feelings of being overwhelmed
• Difficulty concentrating
• Mood swings or changes in your mood
• Irritability or having a short temper
• Difficulty relaxing
• Depression
• Low self-esteem
• Eating more or less than usual
• Changes in your sleeping habits
• Using alcohol, tobacco, or illegal drugs to relax
• Aches and pains, particularly muscle tension
• Diarrhoea and constipation
• Feelings of nausea or dizziness
• Loss of sex drive

When the negative effects of stress start to have an impact on your health and well-being, it is important to address them quickly to prevent burnout or common mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety.

Studies from the Mental Health Foundation, Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Office of National Statistics (ONS), and the Labour Force Survey suggest that the number of people experiencing common mental health disorders has increased significantly since the start of the pandemic.

In 2020/21, there were an estimated 822,000 workers affected by work-related stress, depression, or anxiety².

Businesses have a legal and moral duty to provide psychologically safe and healthy workplaces – and to ensure that work is not causing or contributing to mental ill health.

The cost of mental ill health to businesses is huge – across all sectors, the cost of mental ill health is £1,716 per person employed per year- and in the insurance industry, this rises to £3,300 per person employed per year³. The human cost is incalculable – mental ill health affects a person’s career, their family, and their life.

Conscious business leaders will invest in protecting their most valuable asset- their people, by creating the conditions within every workplace where every person feels safe to talk about how they feel and what support they need. This will result in less stress, better health, and more happiness for all.

¹ Mental Health Foundation - https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/a-to-z/s/stress

² www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/

³ Deloitte, Mental Health and Employers, 2020.