Stress Awareness Month - April 2025 | Importance & History

Stress Awareness Month is a globally recognised and celebrated healthcare event observed every year for the entirety of April month during which various awareness campaigns and activities are conducted by healthcare professionals and health promotion experts across the globe to promote public awareness about both the cures and causes of our modern stress epidemic globally.

According to The American Institute of Stress, all sections of society, such as adults, families, children, teens, college students, and the elderly, develop stress ranging from various factors. 

A 2021 survey conducted by Oracle and Workplace Intelligence, an HR research and advisory firm, included nearly 14,600 employees, managers, HR leaders, and C-level executives from 13 countries, including 1,100 from India. In India, almost 91% of survey respondents stated they were significantly influenced in life, compared to the global average of 80%.

Importance of Stress Awareness Month (SAM)

Stress is a response to physically, emotionally, or environmentally demanding events. The body produces stress hormones in reaction to a stressful circumstance to prepare for a fight or flight response. However, continuous exposure to stress can elevate stress levels, which can harm physical and mental health. Therefore, it is essential to recognise the hazards of stress and take measures to control it to avoid the resulting anxiety.

There are various factors to the ever-growing stress, such as:

• The rise in prices of everyday items due to inflation (e.g., gas prices, energy bills, grocery costs, etc.) 
• Global uncertainty 
• Russia's invasion of Ukraine and potential retaliation from Russia (e.g., cyberattacks or nuclear threats) 

Newer forms of stress disorders are being discovered, such as complex post-traumatic stress disorder (complex PTSD). Complex PTSD is a severe mental illness triggered by stressful life events. It is characterised by three clusters of core post-traumatic symptoms and persistent and chronic abnormalities in emotion regulation, identity, and relationships. Complex PTSD has been recently added to the ICD-11 as a new diagnosis. 

Under these debilitating times, it is essential to have a stress reminder to spread awareness and thus identify people under stress to get treated before it could turn into other incapacitating diseases such as depression or stroke etc. 

Stress Awareness Month is the exact key to filling the vacuum. 

Stress Awareness Month 2025 Theme

This year, 2025, the stress awareness month 2025 theme is “Lead With Love”. This theme focuses on treating oneself and other people with acceptance, kindness, and compassion despite any difficulties encountered. With open conversations and proactive support, it promotes building healthy relationships and lowering the stigma associated with stress and mental health conditions.

History of Stress Awareness Month

Stress Awareness Month has been sponsored every April since 1992 by the Health Resource Network (HRN), a non-profit health education organisation founded by Dr Morton C. Orman, M.D. 

During this annual period of thirty days, healthcare professionals and health promotion specialists team together to raise public awareness about the causes and treatments for our modern stress pandemic.

Dr Orman emphasised the availability of newer research about stress over the past twenty years but contemplated the necessity of accomplishing significant research to understand the ailment fully. Currently, newer pieces of information being revealed could help millions get rid of their pain and suffering.

Understanding the effects of stress 

The response to challenging physical, emotional, or environmental situations is stress, which can be divided into two types based on their duration extension. 

• Acute stress is a short-term response to specific events or situations, which can be helpful in certain situations, especially for quick reactions to any potential danger.
• Chronic stress is a long-term stress response generated in response to continuous ongoing stressors, such as financial worries or occupational stress. If left untreated, chronic stress can develop malicious situations to our health and well-being.

Stress complexes can induce a variety of psychological and physical symptoms, such as:

• Psychological symptoms such as deterioration of chronic health issues and mental health problems
• Feelings of numbness, dread, despair, rage, concern, or worry
• Changes in energy, appetite, desires, and interests
• Physical symptoms such as headaches, rashes on the skin, or gastrointestinal issues
• Nightmares and/or difficulty falling asleep
• Increased alcoholism
• Abuse of prescription medications (such as opioids), usage of illicit substances (such as heroin, cocaine, or methamphetamine), and difficulty focusing and making judgments.

Tips to reduce stress 

There are various tips to reduce stress which include:

• Being active with any form of physical activity
• Meditate for at least 30 minutes every day
• Try and laugh more
• Connect with others as socialisation can help drive depression away
• Get enough healthy sleep

Department of General Medicine