Stress Isn't a Problem
Stress is a symptom, not a problem. So why are we treating it like one?
Tackling stress is high on everyone’s agenda - but are we focusing on the right thing?
Stress levels are rising, and the consequences touch everything — people’s health, productivity, relationships, and ability to enjoy life, organisational outcomes, and national budgets. More than a third of the world’s population is experiencing significant stress. In the UK, work-related stress, depression, and anxiety account for 52% of all work-related ill health and cost more than 22 million working days each year.
The numbers are hard to ignore and explain why more and more individuals, employers, and governments are making stress a target. But what’s striking is that most efforts seem to lump all stress and anxiety into one big pot and reach for the same handful of solutions to solve it.
That doesn’t work. And here’s one reason why.
If you open any mental health diagnostic manual, you’re quickly confronted with the wide range of stress and anxiety disorders that exist, and the many ways in which they play out in everyday life. That complexity rarely makes it into mainstream media and workplace wellbeing strategies. More concerningly, that nuance is often lost in those rushed conversations with your healthcare provider as well.
A few things worth sitting with:
Not all stress is harmful. A level of stress is inevitable — and necessary. Stress sharpens focus, drives performance, and helps us navigate life’s constant demands. Stress becomes a problem when it turns chronic or traumatic.
Post-traumatic stress is stress, yet it’s not yet part of the well-being conversation. After adversity, intense stress is a normal, protective response. In most cases, this reaction resolves naturally with time and support. But when someone’s sense of safety has been severely compromised, or when the threat doesn’t go away, that stress response remains switched on indefinitely, altering physiological baselines, emotional and behavioural patterns, and even core beliefs. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) have specific profiles and respond to unique management strategies, which is why they deserve consideration in the bigger effort to improve individual and collective well-being.
Different problems need different solutions. Someone under stress due to debt needs financial advice, not breathing exercises. A nurse or care worker absorbing secondary trauma daily will benefit from peer reflection and a trauma-informed supervisor, not a stress management course. You can’t fix the impact of workplace bullying and discrimination with access to a helpline, and you won’t improve the well-being of someone whose working pattern collides with their family life by offering them a discounted gym membership.
Stress isn’t one big problem. Stress has become a catch-all label for many smaller, distinct problems — each pointing to a different source and calling for a different response.
To make real progress, we need better awareness of the different types of stress and anxiety, and braver conversations about what’s actually driving these conditions. If you are looking to improve your own mental health, or it’s your job to look after how other people feel - at work or in life - remember that stress is the smoke. Opening the windows sure helps, but the real need is putting out the fire.
If this resonates, I’d love to hear from you. Reply here, or get in touch directly — I’m always keen to hear from people working on these issues.
On a separate note, in the last few months, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about the best way to engage with people living and working with PTSD and CPTSD. Writing and 1:1 coaching are great and will continue as they are, but there’s something about the magic of groups and peer-to-peer work that’s missing.
On the 1st of April, I’m launching a private community dedicated primarily to supporting people living and working with PTSD and CPTSD. Members get access to exclusive content, regular group coaching sessions, and more. If you’re interested in joining, drop me a private message or email me at adina[at]traumaatwork.com.
And finally, I run a survey to gather evidence on the relationship between adverse experiences and work. Your participation can help shape meaningful change. Please take 5 minutes to add your voice: https://www.traumaatwork.com/research.
Until next time,
Adina
Because it’s easier to fix the symptom than the problem. “There there honey, take this pill and you’ll feel better.”
Exactly. Stress is a signal, not a sentence. The problem starts when people try to eliminate the signal instead of building a system that can handle it. You don't fix stress by removing it. You fix it by becoming someone it can't break.