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Stress Awareness Month takes place across April every year, with anxiety being the theme for 2023. It was created in 1992 to raise awareness about the causes and remedies for stress as a whole and, in turn, attempt to remove the negative connotations around mental health.

Stress-related illnesses are one of the leading causes of long-term work absences, which can impact financial-wellbeing or lead to debt.

So throughout April, PayPlan are using Stress Awareness Month to talk about stress and how we might be able to help.

What is stress?

Everyone will experience stress in some way shape or form. It can be through; overwhelming anxiety or depression, anger or nervousness and it can even make you distance yourself from those around you.

Stress also can occur for multiple reasons, the most common of which tend to be work or finance related.

Despite not being considered a mental health illness, stress can directly contribute to more severe mental health issues, so you should seek support as soon as possible.

How to observe Stress Awareness Month

Not everyone in the UK will have access to the same support, so we’ve put together four tips that anyone can use to help themselves and others around them:

Pay attention – Take the time to understand where your stress comes from and the negative effects it causes.

Take care of yourself – Find time to Relax, exercise, eat well or do something you enjoy. These are all great ways to combat the effects of stress or even decrease the chances of feeling stressed.

Talk to others – Speaking about stress and its effects with others around you can help to raise awareness and put your mind at ease. Sharing any positive experiences you have around coping with stress may also help others deal with their own issues.

Take part in the 30-Day Stress Awareness Challenge – Take part in one activity per day that will benefit your physical, mental, or emotional wellbeing. Some examples are exercise, journaling, listening to music or talking to someone about your relationship with stress.

Help & resources

For more information on stress and help with how to deal with it, visit sites such as Mind or NHS.

At PayPlan, each of our advisors has received dedicated training to spot the signs of and support mental health and wellbeing.

We also have a specialist vulnerable client team that offers to support people who are particularly vulnerable.

If you have mental health problems and are also in debt, you can call us for free on 0800 316 1833 – we’re open from 8am – 8pm Monday to Friday and 9am – 3pm on Saturdays. Or, can visit our website to chat with us via live chat or for more information.