The state of worry or mental tension caused by a difficult situation – also called stress – is a natural response that prompts us to address challenges in our lives. Even if today we are less likely to encounter a predator, our response to high-pressure situations is still the same. And, given the recent global burdens of inflation, military conflicts, and the cost-of-living crisis, many of us feel like we are chased by a predator each day with no relief. So, we had to ask: What is the most important information you need to know about this year’s National Stress Awareness Day?

👉 Official Name: National Stress Awareness Day
💚 Cause: Highlighting the causes, signs, and solutions to chronic stress
📅 Next Date: November 5, 2025
🌐 Official Website: https://isma.org.uk/isma-international-stress-awareness-week
🐦 Hashtag: #StressAwarenessDay, #StressManagement, #Selfcare, #MentalHealthMatters

Keep reading to find out all the important information about National Stress Awareness Day at a glance: its big picture, why it’s important, and how you can get involved. We’ll then share its brief history, three interesting facts about it, its future dates, and how you’ll never miss any important awareness event again.

The Most Important Information About National Stress Awareness Day at a Glance

1️⃣ The big picture: National Stress Awareness Day highlights the damaging effects of stress and encourages effective stress management. This event raises awareness of the prevalence of chronic stressors in modern life and brings forth solutions to cope with or eliminate the root causes of stress by engaging mindfully with the world around us. It encourages rethinking our daily behaviors and decisions while catalyzing community changes through public events, online campaigns, and workplace seminars. 

2️⃣ Why it is important: Four in 10 people worldwide report feeling chronically stressed. Annually, 12 billion workdays are lost due to stress, depression, and anxiety, at a cost of nearly $1 trillion a year to the global economy. What’s more, financial issues and economic problems give rise to further stress, as 65% of Americans worry about money, the economy, and their health. Moreover, 40% of people in the US consider workload as the main cause of their stress. Furthermore, chronic stress has negatively impacted Americans’ relationships in 76% of cases and their daily behavior in 50% of cases, generating migraines, fatigue, and depression. 

3️⃣ How you can get involved: You can participate in National Stress Awareness Day by granting yourself a stress-free day, finding strategies to cope with chronic stress, and sharing stress-relieving ideas on social media:

1. A day of ease: Start reducing stress today by allowing yourself to focus on positive vibes and the things you love. Go for a walk, get a massage, hang out with friends, or watch your favorite movie, and make sure you give your body a good night’s sleep. 
2. Powerful ways to cope: Check out and try implementing effective ways to relieve stress in your daily life, from exercising and going for walks to a stress-relieving diet and meditation. By doing this, you are facilitating a healthier, more productive, and longer life.
3. Engage smartly with social media: Use this opportunity to share useful strategies to cope with stress and avoid its root causes via social media. And, while you’re at it, think of strategies to engage mindfully with social media and the internet, as these are known causes of stress responses.
4. Pets as stress relievers: Did you know that owning a pet has been shown to significantly reduce your long-term stress levels? Consider if owning a pet is right for you and try adopting a pet in need for mutual love and affection. Or, if you already have a pet, spend some quality time with them today and take in their mood-lifting presence.

Below are our favorite charities that are relevant for National Stress Awareness Day:

• Best Charities That Advance Mental Health
• Best Charities for Youth Mental Health
• Best Charities That Fight Anxiety
• Best Charities That Fight Depression
• Best Charities That Promote Health and Well-Being
• Impactful Ninja: All Mental Health Charities

A Brief History of National Stress Awareness Day

When was this event established: National Stress Awareness Day was established in 1998 in the UK by Carol Spiers, the chairperson of the International Stress Management Association (ISMA). She created this observance to help people manage or overcome stressful situations and root causes in their personal and professional lives. 

How has it developed since then: Today, National Stress Awareness Day attracts strong media interest. The coverage includes international features in newspapers and magazines, online news sites, specialist forums, and professional groups. Since 2019, ISMA has been organizing a Global Online Stress & Wellbeing Summit on National Stress Awareness Day, with renowned experts who lead discussions to improve health, safety, and wellbeing in the workplace and combat stress in a world dominated by technology.

3 Interesting Facts About National Stress Awareness Day

1. The history of stress: In the 1910s, it was found that the “wear and tear of life” (known as “stress”) can be a contributing factor to heart disease. In 1920, the term “stress” was coined by a scientist named Hans Selye from Austria. He was inspired by the field of physics, where the term is used to describe the force that puts a strain on the human body. Other claims suggest that it was Walter Cannon who created the term stress in his work relating to the fight-or-flight response in 1915.
2. Exercise and stress: Several studies show that chronic stress can be an important impediment to healthy levels of physical activity, as stress impairs efforts to be physically active. However, exercise is a significant stress reliever, pumping up endorphins, improving your mood, and being a “mediation in motion”. What’s more, exercise provides relief while imitating the effects of stress and helps your body work through those effects. 
3. Social support: One universal stress reliever is social support. Research shows that strong social bonds can protect against stress-related physical and mental illnesses like heart disease and depression, decreasing the risk of early death by 50%. Still, creating these relationships may be difficult, as over half of Americans wished they had someone to count on. For this, it’s good to volunteer or start online with apps like Meetup, BumbleBFF, and FriendMatch.

Upcoming Dates of National Stress Awareness Day

National Stress Awareness Day is observed every year on the first Wednesday of November.

Never Miss an Awareness Event Again

Sources

• Health.military: Stress is a Normal Survival Reaction
• Verywell Mind: High Inflation Rates Impact Almost Every Aspect of Our Lives, Including Mental Health
• Mental Health America: Mental health during global conflict
• BBC: Financial anxiety: The alarming side effect of inflation
• International Stress Management Association: International Stress Awareness Week
• Mayo Clinic: Chronic stress puts your health at risk
• Serenity Counseling Center: The Outside Pressures: Anxiety and Stress of Modern Life
• Healthline: 16 Simple Ways to Relieve Stress
• World Economic Forum: International Stress Awareness Week: Here’s how to protect your mental health
• SingleCare: Stress statistics 2024
• The American Institute of Stress: Workplace Stress
• Verywell Mind: 18 Effective Stress Relief Strategies
• Mayo Clinic: Exercise and stress: Get moving to manage stress
• Harvard Health Publishing: A 20-minute nature break relieves stress
• Abbott: In Need of Stress Relief? The Answer Might Be in Your Diet
• Mayo Clinic: Meditation: A simple, fast way to reduce stress
• Healthline: 10 Easy Ways to Manage and Relieve Stress
• Pew Research Center: Psychological Stress and Social Media Use
• Verywell Mind: How Owning a Pet Can Reduce Stress
• ThriveWorks: National Stress Awareness Day: Learn about the dangers of stress and how to better manage it
• International Stress Management Association: home page
• International Stress Management Association: Online Global Stress & Wellbeing Summit
• Coronary Heart Disease (CHD)—One or Several Diseases?
• Taylor and Francis Online: Cholesterol does not cause coronary heart disease in contrast to stress
• CSHS: History of Stress
• Health Central: A Brief History of the Term ‘Stress’
• National Library of Medicine: The Effects of Stress on Physical Activity and Exercise
• TCA: Statistics Show Exercise is a Healthy Stress Reliever for Teens and Adults
• National Library of Medicine: Social Support and Resilience to Stress
• APA: 6 things researchers want you to know about stress
• BumbleBFF: home page
• FriendMatch: home page
• Meetup: home page