Stress Awareness Week 2026: Have We Forgotten How to Relax?

Shaping the Future of Stress and Wellbeing: Rehumanising the Workplace

When did being busy become a badge of honour? And when did taking time to rest start to feel like something we need to justify?

International Stress Awareness Week (2–6 November 2026) invites us to think differently about stress, wellbeing and the way we work. This year's theme, Shaping the Future of Stress and Wellbeing: Rehumanising the Workplace, highlights the importance of remembering that behind every job title, deadline, target and email is a human being.

Perhaps it's time we started treating ourselves like one, too.

Stress: Are We Becoming Too Good at Ignoring the Signs?

Stress is a natural response to pressure. In short bursts, it can help us respond to challenges. However, when pressure becomes prolonged and we don't have sufficient time to recover, stress can begin to affect both our physical and emotional wellbeing.

The difficulty is that many people don't recognise just how stressed they have become.

We tell ourselves:

- I'm just having a busy week.

- Everyone is under pressure.

- I'll catch up on sleep at the weekend.

- It's nothing I can't handle.

- I'll relax when this project is finished.

But what happens when the project finishes and another one begins?

Stress doesn't always announce itself dramatically. Often, it creeps into everyday life until feeling exhausted, anxious or overwhelmed starts to seem normal.

The Mental Health Foundation's UK research found that 74% of people had felt so stressed during the previous year that they were overwhelmed or unable to cope. Meanwhile, an IOSH workplace poll found that 54% of respondents who had experienced work-related stress would not feel comfortable discussing it at work.

These figures highlight how easily stress can become normalised and how reluctant people can be to acknowledge it or ask for support.

Recognising the Symptoms of Stress

Stress affects everyone differently, but there are some common warning signs worth recognising.

Physical symptoms

- Persistent tiredness and exhaustion.

- Headaches or muscle tension.

- Tightness in the shoulders, neck or jaw.

- Digestive discomfort.

- Changes in appetite.

- Difficulty sleeping or waking feeling unrefreshed.

- Racing heart or feeling constantly on edge.

Emotional and psychological symptoms

- Feeling anxious, overwhelmed or unable to switch off.

- Irritability, impatience or a shorter temper.

- Feeling tearful or unusually emotional.

- Difficulty concentrating or making decisions.

- Loss of motivation or enjoyment.

- Feeling that everything is becoming too much.

Behavioural changes

- Withdrawing from friends, family or social activities.

- Working longer hours and finding it difficult to stop.

- Relying more heavily on alcohol, comfort eating or other coping habits.

- Procrastinating or struggling to complete everyday tasks.

- Neglecting exercise, hobbies and personal needs.

One of the biggest mistakes we can make is dismissing these symptoms as simply part of modern life.

They may be your mind and body signalling that something needs to change.

Persistent or concerning physical symptoms should also be discussed with your GP rather than automatically attributed to stress.

The Antidote to Stress? Making Time to Relax.

We live in a society that places enormous value on productivity.

We celebrate working hard, achieving more, multitasking and always being available. Technology means that work can follow us home, notifications interrupt our evenings and the pressure to respond can make it difficult to disconnect.

Even our leisure time can become another opportunity to achieve something.

But where does genuine rest fit into all of this?

Relaxation isn't laziness. It isn't wasted time, and it certainly isn't a luxury reserved for people who have finished everything on their to-do list.

Rest and relaxation are essential human requirements.

Our minds and bodies need opportunities to recover from the demands placed upon them. Without adequate recovery, prolonged stress can leave us feeling depleted, overwhelmed and increasingly unable to cope.

Relaxation provides an important counterbalance to the stress response. It gives us an opportunity to slow down, release tension and settle both mentally and physically.

Of course, relaxing won't remove an unreasonable workload, workplace conflict or an unhealthy working environment. These issues need to be addressed at their source. But learning to relax is an important part of protecting our wellbeing.

Perhaps the real challenge is not finding more time to do things, but allowing ourselves permission to do less.

How to Make Relaxation Part of Everyday Life

The good news is that relaxation is a skill we can develop. We don't necessarily have to be naturally good at it, and we don't need hours of spare time.

Like any skill, we can improve how well we relax with practice.

Here are some simple ways to start:

1. Practise doing nothing.

Give yourself five or ten minutes without a phone, television, emails or another task. You don't need to achieve anything during this time.

2. Slow down your breathing.

Try breathing gently and comfortably, allowing your exhalation to be slightly longer than your inhalation. Avoid forcing deep breaths.

3. Get outside.

A gentle walk, spending time in nature or simply sitting in the garden can provide a welcome change of pace.

4. Release physical tension.

Try gentle stretching, progressive muscle relaxation or consciously relaxing your shoulders, jaw and hands.

5. Protect your boundaries.

Switch off work notifications outside working hours where possible. Give yourself permission not to respond immediately to every message.

6. Make time for something you enjoy.

Listen to music, read, garden, paint, cook or enjoy a hobby without feeling that it needs to be productive.

7. Create a bedtime wind-down routine.

Allow yourself time to transition from the demands of the day into a calmer evening.

8. Practise regularly.

Don't wait until you are overwhelmed before attempting to relax. Short, regular periods of relaxation can help you become more familiar with the experience and better at settling yourself.

How Can Hypnotherapy Help With Stress?

One of the challenges people experience with prolonged stress is that they can become so accustomed to feeling tense, alert and mentally busy that switching off becomes surprisingly difficult.

Even when they finally have time to themselves, their minds continue racing through tomorrow's tasks, replaying conversations or worrying about things they cannot control.

This is where Clinical Hypnotherapy may help.

Hypnotherapy uses guided relaxation and focused attention to help people access a deeply relaxed state. During sessions, we can work on developing relaxation skills, changing unhelpful thought patterns and responding differently to everyday pressures.

Depending on individual circumstances, hypnotherapy may help you:

- Develop a greater ability to relax both mentally and physically.

- Reduce habitual feelings of tension and being constantly on alert.

- Manage anxious thoughts and overthinking.

- Improve confidence in handling challenging situations.

- Develop healthier responses to everyday stress.

- Establish more positive habits around rest, sleep and personal wellbeing.

An important part of the process is learning how to reproduce that relaxed state outside the therapy room, so that relaxation becomes a skill you can use in everyday life.

You don't have to wait until you reach burnout to do something about stress.

A More Human Approach to Wellbeing

The 2026 Stress Awareness Week theme is a timely reminder that wellbeing needs to be part of how we live and work, not simply something we think about when things go wrong.

Employers have a responsibility to create healthier working environments, with realistic expectations, supportive management, appropriate workloads and a culture where people feel able to speak openly about stress.

But we also have a responsibility to recognise our own warning signs and make space for recovery.

Perhaps it's time to stop measuring our worth by how much we accomplish and start recognising the value of how well we look after ourselves.

You are allowed to rest before you are exhausted. You are allowed to slow down before you reach breaking point. And you are allowed to make your wellbeing a priority.

Could You Benefit From Learning to Relax?

If you find it difficult to switch off, feel constantly on edge or struggle to find a moment of calm, Clinical Hypnotherapy may be worth exploring.

As a Clinical Hypnotherapist in Sussex, I offer a supportive, individual approach to helping people manage stress, develop relaxation skills and feel more in control of their emotional wellbeing.

You don't have to keep pushing through. 💛

Discover how hypnotherapy may help at www.andreaaro.co.uk