A thought struck me a few days ago, sitting here in my own little world, telling people how to manage stress, writing books and blog posts. A big thing might have been hitting 50 times around the sun last week, which has made me think about the time we have and whether we can make a mark. This is all very well, but what legacy am I building, and am I doing enough?
It is no surprise that as we start 2026, we are in very interesting times. The two biggest concerns I think about are a tough political situation around the world (which, as an individual, I have no control over) and the cost of living (which I do have choices about). I can cut back on my spending, get a new job, or reassess my financial priorities; these are within my control. What I do have is my health (and I can thank the UK for providing the NHS, regardless of what you think, this is a huge peace of mind for any UK citizen) and finally my passion to help others.
These thoughts have led me to believe I should do more to make a greater impact. There could not be a greater need at this very point in time, so perhaps the question is not can I, but a statement of I should! As I teach the Capacity Need Want framework, explaining that we can always do more when we understand the Capacity and prioritise the Need and the Want, I decided to see what I can do to influence the current situation in the UK around stress.
As the old Project Manager in me surmised, is it worth it? What else is being done (duplicated effort), and is there a way that I can work smarter, not harder? Influence and support from the right people will make things easier. The result was that I decided to have a chat with my MP for Cheltenham, Max Wilkinson, to get his feedback and a feel about the government’s position, and the influence and support I might be able to gain.
Today (23rd January), I went and spoke to Max, laying out why this is bigger than a Caveman book or speaking engagements. We spoke about the huge increase in the number of days lost in business to stress (17.1 million in 23/24, growing to 22.1 million in 24/25). That 964,000 workers are suffering from stress, and it accounts for 52% of ill-health cases the UK are having to deal with.
We also had a quick discussion that stress is more than work, it is about family, situations and home life. The fact that women are twice as likely to report suffering stress opened a small can of worms about whether men are masking the true reason for an illness, using other ailments to get time away from work. And the big one, that stress is costing the UK £5.2 BILLION (a conservative number – as some organisations state it can cost up to £28 BILLION) annually. This is not a small concern but a huge problem that only a collective and unified nation can address and overcome.
Max agreed that there was a concern, a problem for the economy, family and individuals. There is possibly a lack of investment and direction in some services. He acknowledged that there has been a change in how Mental Health is seen and addressed over the last 10-15 years, which was a great opportunity for me to discuss with him how we might be treating a separate issue of stress, which can be managed and treated, as a single Mental Health pot that has other conditions that are more long term and needing different support. The majority of Stress can be addressed through adjustments and retraining in people skills, reducing the burden on an individual and resolving the problem before it becomes an issue.
Max was well ahead of the game; he knew it was a natural condition that some stress is good for us, but that being stressed for a long period of time is not. He also recognised that as a Nation we should be having a wider discussion about stress in general.
The agreement was for me to work on a proposal and for us to look at a project where Max can assist. With his influence, communications and PR-wise, raising awareness among his local constituents on such a stress-related matter might be useful. He also offered to ask some parliamentary questions about the government’s approach to stress as both an economic and a medical issue.
We agreed that if we can remove the stress, the Country will be in a better place. We dipped into the use of Social media and the lack of exercise chat, which was great to hear his thoughts on, and we both agreed it’s a problem.
What was interesting was that Max asked about me, how I got into the subject of Stress. I explained that I was a cop and back in 2011, during a routine domestic call and stood in a living room, a suspect pulled a gun and shot at me. As I tried to protect the victim who stood behind me and was concerned about the baby upstairs, I fought for my own life as well as those I was there to protect. With me having to fight off the suspect’s dog, which was attacking me, and then his friend, who decided he was going to get involved. Things happened so fast that I found myself dragging the suspect out of the house in handcuffs. Securing the gun and no one being injured.
As a result, I received a national bravery award, and the suspect was sentenced to three and a half years. Then, eight years later, I was diagnosed with PTSD, which is why I am obsessed with managing stress correctly.
Grabbing a photo and offering him a copy of my book, I was done. Now, having just returned from his local surgery appointment, I feel enthused to see what I can do and see what sort of result I can achieve. I have been working on the Questions I’d like answers to and have already emailed them to Max. these are –
1. On the Economic Impact and Productivity
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of chronic workplace stress on national productivity, and what steps the Government is taking to support employers in implementing preventative stress or mental health strategies to reduce the record number of working days lost to stress-related illness?
2. On Preventative Health and NHS Burden
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what cross-departmental strategy is in place to address the root causes of chronic stress, given its proven link to long-term physical conditions such as cardiovascular disease and hypertension, in order to reduce the future preventable burden on the NHS?
3. On “The Right to Disconnect” (Personal Happiness)
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if the Government will consider introducing legislation to protect a worker’s ‘Right to Disconnect’ outside of contracted hours, to ensure that the ‘always-on’ digital culture does not continue to erode the personal happiness and family life of UK citizens?
4. On Support for the Self-Employed and Small Businesses
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what specific mental health and stress-management support is being made available to the UK’s 4.3 million self-employed individuals and small business owners, who often lack the HR infrastructure of larger firms but face unique financial and psychological pressures?
5. On Measuring National Wellbeing
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how the Government is using the ONS ‘Personal Wellbeing’ data to inform policy-making, and what specific targets have been set to reduce the percentage of the population reporting high levels of anxiety and daily stress?
Watch this space, as I will be working on a project brief soon, and if I get any answers to the above questions, I will update you. Like and subscribe to my blog, and I will keep you posted.