National Stress Awareness Day happens on the first Wednesday in November, and aims to identify and reduce the stress factors in your life. 

The following is taken from the Stress Management Society website:

"Firstly, let’s debunk one myth: stress is not necessarily a ‘bad’ thing. Without this brilliant ability to feel stress, humankind wouldn’t have survived. Our cavemen ancestors, for example, used the onset of stress to alert them to a potential danger, such as a sabre-toothed tiger.

Stress is primarily a physical response. When stressed, the body thinks it is under attack and switches to ‘fight or flight’ mode, releasing a complex mix of hormones and chemicals such as adrenaline, cortisol and norepinephrine to prepare the body for physical action. This causes a number of reactions, from blood being diverted to muscles to shutting down unnecessary bodily functions such as digestion."

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The Stress Management Society's website hosts lots of useful information, guides and resources, including the very practical one below which we have shared on our social media pages and with our workforce: