With so much changing on a daily basis, it’s important to pause and reflect from time to time, and International Stress Awareness Week acts as the perfect reminder for this. For 2026, this year’s theme explores the future of wellbeing in a changing world: Shaping the Future of Stress and Wellbeing: Rehumanising the Workplace.
An annual campaign founded by ISMAUK, the initiative was developed to increase awareness of stress, its impact, and the importance of mental health and wellbeing. Whether looking inwards across the workplace or more generally at home, it’s often important to take stock of how we’re feeling and recognising the triggers that have an impact on our daily lives.
All it takes is turning on the radio or TV, reading our favourite publications or simply scrolling on social media, and our feeds are filled with news, sensationalism and great debates about the state of the world, the impact of technology (largely AI) on the workplace and news stories that encourage some form of reaction (good and bad). So, what does this do to our mental state?
Speaking here entirely from personal experience, I know that I want to see the good in the world and create a safe space – both for my fellow colleagues and clients, but also for my family and friends too. This means ensuring we can process our feelings, emotions and fears in a safe space. The impact of what is happening at home, in the office or in the wider communities absolutely has an impact on the other channels, so being able to be open and honest is vital to a healthy emotional state.
So, what do we do at ADPR?
🤝 A full team weekly check in – this gives us the opportunity to share any priorities, challenges we need to address and a chance to change perspective and problem solve together. It also helps to keep us abreast of client news and activities, so we can support each other and share new suggestions.
💼 Time together in the office – whilst we do have a hybrid policy, regular in-person time ensures we properly collaborate, as well as reading each other’s body language and offer extra support, even if that’s a farm shop trip (the cake is insane!) or sharing stories together!
📝 Taking stock of what’s happening – this one seems very basic, but often the small things make a huge difference… and it’s about looking at the reality of what’s on your list and processing it, creating a prioritised list and giving yourself realistic deadlines to work to.
⚕️ Everyone at ADPR has been trained as a Mental Health First Aider, which has given us a plethora of tools and strategies to help identify the signs and also some helpful signposts and conversations points to give meaning to the next steps.
✨A tidy desk policy – often what you can see around you can impact your mood and mindset, so having a policy in place or simply the time to stop and tidy up can calm your mind and help re-establish your priorities.
☕ It can always be tea time (especially for Jenny 😉) – need a breather, a change of scenery or time to process something? Let’s have a cuppa and a chat, and the time away from the desk can be invaluable.
🏋️♀️ Flexibility at our core – we know everyone has lives outside of ADPR, and being able to support our personal lives is important, so that means offering the flexibility for the team to attend appointments, school events or participating in hobbies or socials around our core working hours.
🐶 As most people know, we also have lots of furry friends in the office and taking them for a walk, a fuss or a quick playtime can be a great reset for us all. It is also widely reported that having dogs in the office are a great form of stress relief! More dogs please…
Providing a safe space for our team to “bring their whole selves to work” is at the heart of our values. And, despite having a hybrid work, we strive to support our team fully, regardless if they are at home or in the office, or in another country supporting an event. Mental health is just as important as physical health, so prioritising these needs will always be at the top of our agenda.
If you’d like to find out more about the resources ISMAUK have put together, you can check them out here. And if you want to find out more about ADPR, please visit: www.adpr.co.uk.