07/10/2026
How do you know when stress is too much stress?
Excessive stress, over periods of time, without the ability to recover, leads to fatigue, feeling overwhelmed, unable to cope and burnt out, which results in ill health. However, the line between ‘stress’ and ‘excessive stress’ depends on the individual, as everyone reacts differently to it. What matters here is not how much stress you can endure, but that you have the skills to identify when you, or those around you, are experiencing excessive levels of stress and that you are able to discuss the causes of stress with your line manager in order to address it.
With Stress Awareness Week approaching (2-6 November) it is an opportune time to remind organisations that they should be working every day to build cultures of prevention founded on psychosocial safety where working practices that can cause mental ill-health, including stress, are designed out.
Every year the International Stress Management Association runs a campaign ‘to increase public awareness of stress, its impact, and the importance of mental health and wellbeing.’ In 2026, the theme is “Shaping the Future of Stress and Wellbeing: Rehumanising the Workplace”.
Please use the links in our comment below to discover more about Stress Awareness Week, why it is important and how to access free resources, stress awareness videos and relevant blogs on identifying and mitigating the risk of stress in your workplace and supporting the mental wellbeing of your team through stress management.
