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April

Theme: Stress Awareness Month

April is Stress Awareness Month; its aim is to remind us of the importance of taking time to pause and understand what the purpose of stress is, our triggers, how it affects us physically and mentally, and the impact it has in our day-to-day lives.

It is designed to open up conversations about stress in our lives and remove some of the stigmas around talking about stress.

We all experience periods of pressure in our personal and working lives, and short periods of pressure are not necessarily of concern.

However, when demands and pressures (‘stresses and stressors’) become too great, they can induce, in anyone, the harmful or potentially harmful mental and physical feelings and reactions commonly known as “stress”.

Stress is not an illness, but exposure to excessive and prolonged stress can lead to mental and physical ill health.

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Quick Links

The earlier a problem is tackled, the less impact it will have. If you think that you are having problems with stress at work or with your studies, we encourage you to talk to someone.

Whether you are a staff or student, we encourage you to explore the support systems available to you:

Staff at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh

Staff

We encourage you to talk to your line manager, trade union representative, HR Partner or Employee Assistance Programme – MCL Medics

QMU Health and Safety (Internal SharePoint)

QMU Staff Stress Management (Internal SharePoint)

QMU Wellbeing Resources (Internal SharePoint)

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Students

Student Services – Wellbeing Service

Student Services – Counselling Service 

QMCares – Support for student carers, care experienced and estranged students

Louise Gill, Wellbeing Adviser - wellbeing@qmu.ac.uk 

Dona Smith, Wellbeing Adviser for Paramedic Science Students - CWS@qmu.ac.uk

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Key Dates

1st – 30th – Stress Awareness Month

2nd – World Autism Day

6th – International Asexuality Day

7th – World Health Day

8th – International Romani Day

22nd – Earth Day

26th – International Lesbian Visibility Day

28th – National British Sign Language (BSL) Day

Religious Dates

1st – 9th - Passover (Judaism)

2nd - Maundy Thursday (Christian)

3rd - Good Friday (Christian)

5th - Easter Sunday (Christian)

6th - Easter Monday (Christian)

12th - Pascha/Easter (Orthodox Christian)

13th – 15th - Songkran/Thai New Year (Buddhist)

14th - Vaisakhi (Sikh)

19th - Akshaya Tritiya (Jainism/Hindu)

20th – 21st - First Day of Ridván (Bahá’í)

28 - 29th - Ninth Day of Ridván (Bahá’í)

30th April – 1st May - Pesach Sheni/Second Passover (Judaism)