International Stress Awareness Week (ISAW) from November 1st-7th, 2025, is dedicated to shining a spotlight on stress, its far-reaching effects on mental and physical health, and the crucial importance of proactive stress management.
This week-long campaign aims to educate, provide resources, and foster open conversations to tackle stress-related issues and reduce the stigma surrounding mental well-being.
What is International Stress Awareness Week?
ISAW is a focused initiative that acknowledges the prevalence of stress in modern life and actively promotes techniques for stress reduction.
It strives to create a supportive environment where stress-related challenges can be openly discussed, ultimately fostering greater mental well-being.
The campaign is annually organised by the International Stress Management Association (ISMAUK), dedicated to raising awareness about stress and encouraging open discussions about mental health and the importance of effective stress management.
The History of Stress Awareness
ISAW was established to address the growing issue of stress-related health concerns and encourage people to adopt proactive stress management strategies.
Initiated by organisations and individuals committed to promoting mental well-being, it has since grown into a global movement.
This movement emphasises the importance of recognising, understanding, and managing stress as a cornerstone of better mental and physical health.
While most people experience stress sometimes and some even find it helpful or motivating, when stress begins to negatively impact your life, it signals a need for action and support.
Recognising the Symptoms of Stress
Stress can manifest in various ways, affecting how you feel physically, mentally, and how you behave. It can often be challenging to recognise when stress is the root cause of feeling or acting differently.
- Physical Symptoms: Headaches or dizziness, muscle tension or pain, stomach problems, chest pain or a faster heartbeat, sexual problems.
- Mental Symptoms: Difficulty concentrating, struggling to make decisions, feeling overwhelmed, constantly worrying, and being forgetful.
The Critical Importance of Stress Awareness
Stress, particularly in the workplace, can have devastating and life-changing repercussions for the individual, as well as their family, friends, and colleagues.
By the Numbers (2023/24 Data):
- There were 776,000 cases of work-related stress, depression, or anxiety.9
- These conditions accounted for 46% of all work-related ill-health cases and 55% of all working days lost due to work-related ill-health.
- Key work factors cited as causes include the demands of the job, lack of control, lack of information and support, work relationships, and roles and responsibilities.
For the employee, better mental well-being in the workplace translates to improved confidence, purpose, achievement, positive relationships, and inclusion.
By working collaboratively through proactive prevention strategies—raising awareness, improving understanding, addressing the stigma of mental ill-health, and creating supportive workplaces—we can be the change needed to improve mental well-being for all.
How to Get Involved with International Stress Awareness Week 2025
There are many ways individuals and organisations can participate and support this important campaign:
- Prioritise Self-Care: Actively practice stress-reduction techniques such as mindfulness, meditation, or exercise to manage your own mental well-being.
- Educate Yourself: Take time to learn about the causes and effects of stress and explore healthy strategies for management.
- Share Information: Use social media and other platforms to share reliable stress-awareness resources, tips, and information within your community.
- Organise Events: Host or participate in stress-reduction workshops, seminars, or events in your workplace, school, or local community.
- Support Initiatives: Donate to or volunteer with mental health organisations that provide vital resources and support for stress management.
Frequently asked questions:
What do I do if I’m suffering from stress at work?
Before making any financial claim for work stress, prioritise your health by speaking with your GP.
It is essential to proactively address the issue at work by communicating the problems calmly and professionally to your employer, who can offer internal support.
This communication creates a useful record should you later consider a legal claim. If you have raised the issues and continue to suffer, you are encouraged to seek a free and confidential legal assessment.
Do I have a claim?
High levels of stress over a period of time run the risk of damaging mental health to the extent that medical intervention is required. Employers have a legal obligation to take measures to support both the physical and mental well-being of staff.
Common stress at work claims can include:
- Workplace bullying – Physical or verbal abuse, being belittled, excluded, malicious pranks, aggressive and passive-aggressive treatment, etc.
- Harassment at work – Threats, physical, verbal and sexual assault, attacks on ‘protected’ characteristics, and some of the behaviours listed under workplace bullying.
- Lack of training – Pressure of doing a job and doing it well, having been offered insufficient or zero training.
- Excessive workload – Having far too much work for one person to manage. This can affect both personal life.
- Denial of rights – Such as toilet, coffee or lunch breaks, permission to attend medical appointments, unreasonably required to stay after hours, etc.
- Unfairly applied policies or procedures – Selective enforcement of rules, unreasonable demands, or being singled out to do something when you are unable to do.
- Having mental health issues ignored – When your employer has full disclosure about a mental health condition, yet they don’t make satisfactory adjustments to accommodate your needs within the workplace.
Compensation is pursued in the county courts against an employer who has failed in their legal duties to keep their employee mentally safe at work despite being aware that risks were present, causing harm to that employee’s health.
What are the criteria for a stress at work claim?
You must legally prove that you have not only suffered workplace stress, but that the stress meets the clinical criteria for a recognised psychiatric condition. If so, you would be able to claim compensation known as general damages – compensation for the pain and suffering you have endured as a result of the negligence.
If the symptoms meet the criteria, the court uses guidance called the Judicial Studies Board Guidelines (JCG) as a starting point, which takes into account the following:
- The injured person’s ability to cope with life and work
- The effect on the injured person’s relationships with family, friends, and those with whom he or she comes into contact
- The extent to which treatment would be successful
- Future vulnerability
- Prognosis
- Whether medical help has been sought
Further reading: When might I need (or consider) legal help regarding workplace stress? An employee checklist.
How long do I have to make a claim?
Claims for psychiatric injury are subject to strict time limits, and you must have commenced proceedings within 3 years of your date of knowledge that you have suffered an injury as a result of work-related stress.
Usually, we advise that this time limit runs from the first time you seek medical advice from your GP, but the limitation is assessed on a case-by-case basis.
There may also be separate allegations that can be made under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997. Such allegations would be subject to a 6-year limitation period.
If you are unsure about your own time limit, we would be happy to advise you on whether we can support you with a claim.
How much is my claim worth?
The section of the Judicial Studies Board Guidelines (JCG) covering psychiatric injury claims has four compensation brackets:
- Severe: The most extreme of cases, where the outlook for someone’s recovery is extremely poor (£54,830.00 – £115,730.00).
- Moderately severe: Symptoms amount to a disability affecting someone’s life in a permanent or long-standing way, preventing a return to comparable employment (£19,070.00 – £54,830.00).
- Moderate: Symptoms have affected daily life, work, and relationships, but where medical evidence opines that good progress towards recovery will be made by the time of trial. The extent to which treatment will assist recovery, alongside future vulnerability to relapse, is also assessed (£5,860.00 – £19,070.00).
- Less severe: Usually where the duration of symptoms is less than twelve months, and the extent to which the symptoms have affected someone’s daily activities and sleep is low level (£1,540.00 – £5,860.00).
Most cases of this nature fall within the moderate or moderately severe categories. The court considers similar trialled cases to determine where a case may fall regarding the compensation bracket.
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) cases: the court has additional separate guidance from the above.
- Special damages: Can cover out-of-pocket expenses such as lost earnings, travel, medication and treatment costs, etc.
Claims for both past and anticipated future losses can be made. This list is not exhaustive and is very case-specific.
Why use Oakwood Solicitors Ltd to support me with my stress at work claim?
Claims for psychiatric injury arising from work-related stress are a very complex area of law. At Oakwood Solicitors Ltd, we have a dedicated and specialised team to help you.
With the majority of the team qualifying for mental health (a TQUK Level 2 Certificate in Awareness of Mental Health Problems), we fully appreciate the difficulties those suffering from a mental health condition at work may face, particularly in the case of workplace stress.
Whether it’s an ongoing or a historic issue, we are here to help and will carry out a free initial assessment with no obligation to take a claim forward.
Further information:
ISMA: International Stress Awareness Week 3 – 7 November.
Stress Awareness Day/Week: 3-7 November 2025.
WHAT TO DO NEXT:
If you have suffered a psychiatric injury as a result of stress at work, get in touch today for a no-obligation consultation.
Choose one of the methods on the right-hand side of this page or call us on 0113 200 9720 to find out how we can help you with your enquiry.
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Jessica Rowson started as a Paralegal at Oakwood Solicitors in July 2010, qualifying as a Solicitor in September 2013. Following her qualifying as a Solicitor, Jessica established a niche department …
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