Smile, it might never happen

I received a smile at work today. No, I didn't have newsprint on the end of my nose or my knickers tucked in my skirt. The emoticon was sent to celebrate the arrival of National Stress Awareness Day. Another e-mail on the topic told me that 24 per cent of full-time workers claim to be "generally stressed" at work. Yet another e-mail says that employers won't be able to tackle our stress unless they move some of the money they currently spend on our physical health - healthy eating intiatives, exercise plans and smoking cessation programmes - to initiatives focused on our psychological wellbeing. Might I suggest giving us the money in our pay packets so that we can take special care of our psychological health with frequent foreign holidays and good wine.

Anyhow all this fretting got me thinking about an e-mail I received several months ago announcing the arrival of a website for worrywarts, www.reallyworried.com. The bumpf told me that 17 per cent of us worry most at work (49 per cent worry most in bed) and that worry affects the working lives of 21 per cent of us. Among the most worried of professionals were those in the media and professional services. Is it any surprise that both these groups spend vast proportions of their time in front of screens staring at overloaded inboxes? Roll on National Delete Day.