What’s the best way to manage your business-related stress?

Stress is horrible. It can devastate our mental and physical health. Owning or running a business is often highly stressful, of course, because the daily challenges are many and the stakes are high. And let’s be honest, customers, suppliers and staff can be a huge source of stress at times, that’s without mentioning the day-to-day financial pressures. Despite most of us feeling stressed from time to time, we often try to hide it. Why?

People try to conceal feeling stressed for fear of being judged and thought of as incapable. They’re also fearful of the potential negative impact on their business or career and worry that admitting to feeling stressed will be seen as a sign of weakness. So, we try to keep it to ourselves to protect our reputation and avoid burdening our loved ones or colleagues. This can be dangerous.

International Stress Awareness Week 2026 takes place from 2-6 November, with this year’s theme being “Shaping the Future of Stress and Wellbeing: Rehumanising the Workplace”. The focus is on “improving workplace culture, psychological safety and sustainable wellbeing”.

The campaign aims to increase public awareness of stress, its impact and the importance of mental health and wellbeing. According to organisers, UK charity ISMAUK: “The week brings together employers, wellbeing practitioners, policymakers, educators and communities, in a shared commitment to healthier, more supportive ways of working and living.”

National Stress Awareness Day takes place on Wednesday 4 November 2026, when ISMAUK will host the online Global Stress & Wellbeing Summit, featuring international speakers, practitioners and leaders.

As explained on the NHS website: “Stress is the body’s reaction to feeling threatened or under pressure. When we’re stressed, our body releases adrenaline (AKA the ‘fight or flight hormone’), which usually gives us a boost or motivates us to act quickly.”

However, too much stress too often can negatively impact our mood, body and relationships – “especially when it feels out of our control” – warns the NHS website. Severe or prolonged stress can lead to feelings of physical, mental and emotional exhaustion – or burnout as it’s known.

Stress can give us sleepless nights, make us uncommunicative and even plunge us into depression, making it harder to cope. Common signs of stress include feeling irritable, angry or tearful, and/or worried, hopeless or scared. Making decisions can be more difficult when we’re stressed, which can leave us feeling overwhelmed. The physical symptoms of stress include chest pains, high blood pressure, stomach problems, headaches, muscle pain and skin reactions. Stress can even make us feel dizzy, nauseous or faint.

Common causes of stress include: long hours; unmanageable workloads and punishing deadlines; uncertainty/change; conflicting values or priorities; lack of support, resources or control; bullying, abuse or dysfunctional relationships; uncomfortable or unpleasant work environments. Factors outside of work, such as money worries, personal health issues or relationship problems, can also leave us stressed or less able to deal with workplace stress.

The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) defines work-related stress as “the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressures or other types of demand placed on them.”

• According to HSE research, in 2024/25 (most recent figures available), some 964,000 UK workers suffered from work-related stress, depression or anxiety – a 24% increase on 2023/24 – with some 409,000 being new cases for 2024/25.
• Stress, depression or anxiety accounted for 52% of all work-related UK ill health cases in 2024/25.
• About 22.1m working days were lost in 2024/25 because of work-related stress, depression and anxiety (source: HSE). On average, those suffering from stress, depression or anxiety took 22.9 days off sick in 2024/25.
• Women are 25% more likely to report work-related stress, anxiety or depression, which according to Personnel Today “can often be linked to the pressures of juggling work demands with family and caregiving responsibilities.”

Stress is a hugely disruptive and costly problem for UK employers (estimated in 2024 by Deloitte to cost £51bn a year), but the double whammy is those running their own small business often can’t take off any time to help reduce their own stress or improve their mental health. According to insurer Simply Business:

• 56% of UK small-business owners experience poor mental health each year
• a third survives on fewer than five hours sleep a night, while the same proportion works more 46 hours a week
• 73% of UK small-business owners take fewer than 20 days of annual leave
• anxiety (59%), depression (38%) and loneliness (22%) are major issues for small-business owners, with “financial worries” having the biggest mental health impact for 41%. 

Need to know! As stated on the HSE website: “Like any other safety or health hazard at work, work-related mental health issues must be assessed to measure risk to staff. Where a risk is identified, steps must be taken [by employers] to remove it or reduce it as far as reasonably practicable.”

As with many things, prevention is better than cure. Employers are advised to take a proactive, organisation-wide approach to preventing work-related stress, by assessing stress risks, consulting employees and addressing causes of stress before they impact people’s health. The HSE recommends focusing on six key areas:

1. workload and demands
2. employee control over their work
3. positive workplace relationships
4. clarity of roles and responsibilities and
5. how organisational change is communicated and managed.

Employers should also review workloads regularly, provide sound line management, encourage open conversations about wellbeing, offer appropriate support, carry out ongoing risk assessments and seek regular employee feedback. As well as being a legal duty, managing stress effectively can reduce sickness absence, improve productivity, increase staff retention, and create a healthier, more engaged workforce.

Your health and wellbeing are just as important as anybody else’s, of course, so, begin by identifying and addressing key sources of your stress. Can a solution to some or all of these be found? Be realistic about expectations, deadlines, performance and productivity – your own as much as other people’s.

Try to make working long hours an exception rather than the rule (a major challenge for small-business owners). Find out how better use of digital technology could help you save time and be more productive. Prioritise what’s genuinely important and provides your business with the greatest value.

Delegating more tasks and responsibility can also make a big difference. If possible, say “no” when you already have too much on your plate. And breaking large tasks into small ones can stop us feeling overwhelmed, while the NHS website recommends considering what went well each day and listing three things for which we’re thankful, as a way to make us feel more positive. Action plans and prioritised to-do lists can also help us to stay on track and get through tough days.

Take breaks at lunch and other times, and if possible – go outside and grab some fresh air. Don’t skip meals; eat healthily where possible, and moderate your alcohol, coffee and tea intake. Stay well hydrated with water. Also take regular exercise, because (as explained on the NHS website) this can help you to burn off nervous energy, and distance your mind from stress.

Some stress in life, work or business in inevitable, sadly, we can’t live a stress-free life. But if you’re ever really struggling with stress or your mental health, reach out to family, friends, colleagues, other business owners or your GP. Stress can distort our perspective, making problems feel much bigger, more urgent or harder to solve. Talking to someone you trust can provide emotional support, sound advice and a different voice that can help you think more clearly. However stressed you get, you don’t need to suffer in silence. After all, we all get stressed at times – don’t we? 

• Mental health charity Mind offers support and guidance on a range of related topics, including tips on managing stress and building resilience.
• The NHS website includes a wealth of information on dealing with stress, as well as advice on a wide range of mental health issues.
• The Mental Health Foundation website also provides information about stress management.