October Health – 2025 Report

Self-esteem in United Kingdom

Leading cause (population level): financial insecurity and economic stress (cost-of-living pressures, housing costs, unemployment, and insecure work) driving self-esteem stress in the UK. Other notable contributors (for context): pressures from social media/appearance and discrimination. Workplace tip: address financial wellbeing and provide accessible mental health support. Consider offering October’s digital group sessions, assessments, and content to support employees dealing with self-esteem stress.

Self-esteem Prevalence
23.77%
Affected people
13,073,500

Impact on the people of United Kingdom

Impact of high self-esteem–related stress

Health effects

  • Mental health: increased anxiety, rumination, mood swings, burnout.
  • Physical health: sleep problems, headaches or muscle tension, higher stress hormone levels with chronic stress.
  • Coping behaviors: reliance on caffeine/alcohol or avoidance to manage feelings.

Personal life effects

  • Relationship tension from defensiveness or sensitivity to criticism.
  • Reduced intimacy and openness; perfectionism can cause conflicts at home.
  • Social withdrawal or over-structuring routines to uphold self‑image.

Practical strategies

  • Practice self-compassion and reframe mistakes as learning opportunities.
  • Set realistic, incremental goals; reduce all‑or‑nothing thinking.
  • Build a supportive feedback network; limit social comparison.
  • Try short daily mindfulness or grounding exercises to reduce rumination.

October note: digital group sessions focused on resilience, self-compassion, and managing perfectionism can be helpful in workplace contexts.

When to seek help

  • Stress persists beyond a couple of weeks, disrupts sleep/work, or worsens mood.
  • Contact your GP or NHS IAPT for assessment; consider Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) offered by many UK employers.

Workplace considerations (UK)

  • Encourage a culture that values learning over perfection; provide confidential support options.
  • Ensure access to mental health resources (IAPT, Mind, EAP) and optional October programs for your team.

Impact on the United Kingdom Economy

  • Self-esteem stress: emotional strain from pressure to maintain a positive self-image, fear of failure, and social comparison.

  • Potential economic effects:

    • Productivity and labor supply: ongoing self-esteem stress can lower output and increase presenteeism, reducing overall productivity.
    • Innovation and risk-taking: fear of failure may dampen experimentation and bold decision-making, slowing productivity gains.
    • Absenteeism and turnover: burnout and disengagement can raise sick days and staff turnover, raising recruitment and training costs.
    • Health costs: persistent mental health strain can increase healthcare and disability costs for employers and the public sector.
    • Market psychology: in certain groups (e.g., leaders or financial sectors), overconfidence driven by ego-related stress can fuel mispricing and economic volatility.
  • Mitigation in the workplace (UK context):

    • Foster psychological safety and supportive leadership to reduce fear of failure and encourage help-seeking.
    • Provide accessible mental health resources (e.g., digital group sessions, assessments, and content like October) to manage self-esteem stress and build resilience.

What can government do to assist?

  • Public health education to strengthen self-esteem and resilience: Implement comprehensive social-emotional learning (SEL) and self-esteem building in schools (and accessible to adults) with teacher training and evaluation.

  • Media literacy and stigma reduction: Run national campaigns to promote healthy body image and coping strategies; strengthen online safety measures to limit harmful content and social comparison.

  • Timely, equitable access to mental health care: Expand NHS mental health services (IAPT), reduce waiting times, and ensure region-wide access for adolescents and adults.

  • Workplace culture and policy changes: Foster psychological safety, supportive leadership, anti-bullying policies, flexible work options, and easy access to confidential mental health resources.

  • Digital mental health tools and services: Support wide access to digital group sessions, assessments, and psychoeducational content (e.g., October), integrated into public health and workplace offerings.

What can businesses do to assist their employees?

  • Foster psychological safety and constructive feedback

    • Train leaders to give specific, non-judgmental feedback; value contributions; provide space to raise concerns without fear of stigma.
  • Clarify roles and manage workload

    • Set clear expectations; align tasks with skills; provide realistic deadlines; avoid constant re-prioritisation that fuels self-doubt.
  • Recognise and support development

    • Offer regular, specific recognition; publish transparent criteria for progression; provide learning opportunities and feedback that builds confidence.
  • Ensure confidential mental health support and self-esteem resources

    • Offer accessible EAP or counselling; promote self-help tools; provide October digital group sessions focused on self-esteem, imposter syndrome, and resilience.
  • Build peer support and manager capability

    • Implement mentoring or buddy schemes; foster peer networks; train managers to support employees with low self-esteem and promote a supportive culture.