When we are stressed, it can feel unmanageable. How can we regain connectivity, certainty and control in stressful times? How can our kindness help others who are stressed?

Hand squeezing a red stress ball 

Stress affects many of us, in the workplace and more generally. According to the Health & Safety Executive's health and safety statistics for Great Britain in 2024, 1.7 million working people have a work-related illness, including 800,000 suffering from work-related stress, depression or anxiety.

Ways to cope

Earlier research by the Stress Management Society identified disconnection, uncertainty, and a worrying loss of control as three key causes for concern in stressful times. There will always be potentially stressful situations in life. Sometimes there are practical steps that can improve a situation by removing a source of stress (see our guide to help with money, for example), but it's important to find ways to manage stress when this isn't possible too. 

Even when things seem uncertain and out of control, there are ways to cope with this better, prevent stress becoming a problem, and help others.

Mental Health Foundation research discovered some common ways that people cope with stress:

You can find more suggestions for managing stress and protecting mental health at the links towards the end of this blog.

Leading with kindness

The 2025 theme for Stress Awareness Month is #LeadWithLove. This encourages us to be kind to others and ourselves, with acceptance and compassion, no matter the challenges. The Stress Management Society says that stress thrives in conflict, tension, division. It suggests that by choosing love and kindness, we embrace empathy, prioritise listening and understanding, and help to create positive change. 

That could be as simple but powerful an act as extending our kindness to someone nearby, offering support to wider communities, or being loving and accepting towards ourselves to create ripples of positivity.

Kindness can have unexpected benefits too, such as creating safer teams. When we lead by example, we are showing others what matters to us, and our kindness can help to reduce others' stress.

More information

Our article How to fight daily stress to stay safe at work offers further tips and suggestions, including drawing up a list of the things you can control and those you can’t, to identify where you can take action. People tend to feel happier working on what they can control.

Don't forget: 'you're not alone', and talking with someone else can really help.

There are more resources and information at the links below.

See also

Practical ways to protect your mental health

Stress awareness: finding community

Staying safe in stressful times

For managers: Managing stress, fear and anxiety in the workplace (includes webinar)

Burnout: how to recognise the symptoms and how it affects safety

Mental wellbeing: where to get help and how to offer support to others who are struggling

Coping with loneliness

Find out more

What is stress? [Mind charity] – With information on the signs and causes of stress, dealing with pressure and developing resilience

Get help with stress [NHS]

Guide to stress [Counselling Directory]