Stress Awareness Month 

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Stress can result in: headaches, stomach problems, chest pains, difficulty concentrating, and feeling overwhelmed and can have a significant impact on one’s sleep, mood, and eating. In the long-term, stress has also been linked to an increased prevalence of serious conditions such as heart disease and strokes.

This Stress Awareness Month, we’ll be looking at the effect that gambling harm has on stress, and the support that’s available for those impacted by their own or someone else's gambling.

The Royal College of Psychiatrist's state that gambling harm can result in a greater risk of developing a stress disorder, and 48% of people experiencing gambling harm reported losing sleep due to stress about gambling. 

With the potentially serious long-term implications of stress, it’s important that those experiencing gambling harm get the support that they need.

Stress Awareness Month 2025

This April is Stress Awareness Month.  Stress Awareness Month is a campaign to educate about the causes and effects of stress, promote stress management techniques, encourage conversations and reduce stigma around stress, and provide resources for stress management. 

This year's theme is #leadwithlove. This can be both practicing acts of love for those around you or treating yourself with the same care and attention as you would others. By acting with love, we can encourage empathy and create positive change in our interactions.

To get involved, access resources, and share your experience of practicing acts of love, please visit the Stress website.

Gambling Harm Support at PCGS

The Primary Care Gambling Service is an NHS service that offers free and confidential support for adults experiencing gambling harm across the UK. Our specialists provide empathetic and effective support for those affected by their own or others’ gambling.

We understand that talking about gambling harm can be a daunting experience, and we’re here to support you take the first steps to going gambling free.

We offer a wide range of options for support including individualised care, women’s only support groups, men’s support groups, mixed groups, and a neurodiversity support group created to support those with autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

You can self-refer today by completing the referral form on our website. To learn more, please visit here.

Advice From Our Nursing Team

If gambling is causing you to feel stressed, our nursing team has put together some advice to help you manage your stressors in the moment. 

• You can put up blocks and self-exclusions to prevent access to gambling in impulsive moments. Services such as GAMSTOP allow you to set up self-exclusions from any apps or websites run by companies licensed in Great Britain.
• Attending Gamblers Anonymous sessions will allow you to share how your stressors affect you and get community support
• Save the National Gambling Helpline number in your phone. This is a 24-hour free helpline you can call if you are struggling with your gambling. This can be great for those in the moment or late-night urges. You can reach them on 0808 8020 133.
• Get in touch with debt support charities such as StepChange and Payplan for advice and support around debts which can be a significant stressor. Citizens Advice can also offer a range of financial advice. 
• If payday is a big trigger, have a trusted person you can call or plan an activity on this day that will keep you distracted. If you are feeling really stressed, you can ask a trusted person to help manage your finances or pay your bills. Remember, you should only ever do this with someone you trust and with your consent. 

Published: Apr 3, 2025