National Stress Awareness Day – 5th November 2025
Understanding Stress and Communication
Today is National Stress Awareness Day, a reminder of how stress affects every part of our lives — especially for young people who find communication more challenging.
What is stress?
Stress is the body’s natural reaction to pressure, change, or feeling overwhelmed. It can be caused by anything from school, exams and friendships to everyday worries or big life changes. While some stress can help us stay alert and motivated, too much can affect our emotions, confidence, and ability to communicate.
How stress affects speech and language
When we’re stressed, our body switches into “fight, flight, or freeze” mode. The brain focuses on survival — not conversation. For young people with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN), this can make speaking, listening, or expressing emotions even harder.
Common effects include:
- Word-finding difficulties – stress can make it harder to think clearly or recall the right words.
- Changes in speech – some people talk faster or stumble over words; others go quiet or stop talking altogether.
- Frustration and anger – not being able to express feelings can lead to emotional outbursts or shutting down.
- Avoiding communication – young people may avoid class discussions, social events or phone calls.
- Lower confidence – repeated struggles can reduce self-esteem and make stress worse.
When stress and communication feed into each other
Stress and communication difficulties often create a vicious cycle.
When a young person feels stressed, it becomes harder to communicate and when they can’t express themselves, stress increases.
Over time, this can affect mental health, leading to:
- Anxiety or low mood – feeling misunderstood or unable to say what’s wrong.
- Isolation – avoiding friends, school, or social situations to escape the pressure of talking.
- Strained relationships – communication breakdowns can cause tension with friends, teachers, or family.
- Reduced confidence – each stressful experience reinforces the belief that “I can’t do this,” making future communication even harder.
It becomes a loop that’s difficult to break without support.
How Vocal Voyage can help
At Vocal Voyage, we support young people aged 11–24 with mild to moderate speech and language difficulties across Conwy and Denbighshire.
Our work focuses on breaking that cycle helping young people feel calmer, more confident, and able to express themselves in ways that work for them.
We do this through:
- 1-to-1 mentoring – tailored support to build confidence, manage stress, and develop communication strategies.
- Youth groups and social spaces – safe, relaxed environments to practise talking, socialise, and build friendships.
- Family support and guidance – helping parents understand communication stress and ways to respond supportively.
- Training and awareness sessions – for schools and community organisations to create more communication-friendly environments.
We believe every young person deserves to be heard, understood, and supported especially when life feels stressful.
Get in touch
If you or someone you know could benefit from our support, please contact us:
🌐 Website: www.vocalvoyage.org
📧 Email: info@vocalvoyage.org
📞 Call/Text: 07366 245284
Every Voice Matters.