Stress Awareness Month 2023: Stress affects health and life!

Due to the increasing development of stress among people, every year in April, Stress Awareness Month is observed to make every possible effort to prevent stress and increase awareness among the general public about the issues related to it.

Hyderabad: Stress is considered one of the biggest problems of today, as people from different age groups are facing some kind of stress due to different reasons. Although stress is a common feeling, if it becomes a regular, then its effect starts appearing in our behaviour as well as on physical or mental health. Stress affects the normal routine extensively of a person. The month of April is observed as Stress Awareness Month to raise awareness about the negative effects of stress and how people of all ages can manage their different types of stress.

Everyone experiences stress at least once in their lifetime, but millions of people around the world also become victims of serious problems every year due to its negative effects. But the scarier fact is that despite being diagnosed with severe stress, a large number of people hesitate to seek medical or professional help for stress management.

Stress is not just an uncomfortable feeling, but can also lead to anxiety and depression, hormonal problems, difficulty in sleeping, high blood pressure, heart disease, and a host of other physical and mental health problems. Not just before the severity of stress increases, the patient can be motivated to get treated beforehand, along with this, spreading awareness among the general public about the causes, symptoms, and management of stress during Stress Awareness Month.

This public awareness month was observed for the first time in the year 1992 and is being observed every year in April since then. During this event, various awareness programs, seminars, athletic events, and other programs are organized by government organisations, NGOs, psychiatrists, and psychologists.

In 1974, an organisation was established to deal with workplace stress, and in 1989 this organisation was named International Stress Management Association, which organises various stress-related programs, including Stress Awareness Month. According to therapists, there is no single definition of stress, as it can be caused by various reasons such as family problems, workplace stress, mutual discord, financial or physical problems, etc.

According to the World Health Organisation, out of every 10,000 people in India about 2,443 are battling mental issues, especially stress. Also, there is a continuous rise in cases of stress and anxiety among people post-COVID. It is said that little stress is normal, but not to the point where it starts causing mental problems.

According to the NCRB (National Crime Records Bureau), 13,792 people took their lives due to mental illnesses, the third largest known cause of suicide in the country. Out of these 13,792 people, 6,134 were youngsters between the age of 18 to 45, who were facing various kinds of mental stress.

According to a consultancy agency called Deloitte, 15 per cent of the world's citizens suffering from mental problems are Indians. From 2021 to 2022, the agency surveyed around four thousand employees from various sectors in India regarding mental health in workplaces. According to this survey, there are a lot of people who face workplace stress, but the matter of concern is that despite being aware of the fact that they are under stress, people do not attempt to get treated for it. This problem stems from the mentality that "People who seek psychiatric help are mentally unstable", and worry that seeking help for mental health might make them a laughing stock in society.

Therefore, Stress Awareness Month provides people with an opportunity to discuss the issues related to stress and how to manage it, and also try to get rid of the hesitation that grips people and prevents them from seeking necessary help. One of the main objectives of observing Stress Awareness Month is to understand the causes and symptoms of stress and to pay more personal attention to its adverse effects.