Danes seek most stress help in September and October

September and October are the months when the highest number of Danes activate their health insurance or seek help managing stress, DR reports. Figures from pension companies Danica and PFA show that autumn is the peak season for stress.

The trend is also seen by Djøf, a trade union, which receives the most enquiries about stress from members in the months after the summer holidays, according to Jakob Sloth Petersen, coordinator of the union’s stress helpline.

Some people endure mounting pressure until their summer holiday, he said. After a few weeks of rest, the symptoms return when they go back to work, often because the underlying causes of the stress have not been addressed.

Stress symptoms can include poor sleep, heart palpitations, tension and difficulty concentrating. The Danish Health Authority says the proportion of Danes experiencing stress has risen in recent years.

Pernille Steen Pedersen, a stress researcher at CBS, said work is often a major part of people’s identity, rather than simply a source of income. After a holiday, people’s expectations of what they should be able to achieve can return faster than their actual capacity, she said.

This can create a feeling of inadequacy and develop into stress when people feel they never manage to complete their tasks. High expectations of personal performance can also conflict with what people are realistically able to do after a break, she said.