AROUND 13 million working days are lost due to stress every year and the latest statistics show it's set to get worse.

To some it's seen as a weakness or merely an illness which affects high flyers. But stress is becoming an all too frequent sick note placed on the desks of employers.

As many as one in five people suffer from high levels of work-related stress and it is now responsible for one-third of all new ill-health incidents.

Stress affects us all from the jet-setting company director to the busy single mum but according to GMTV's Dr Mark Hamilton it's how we manage it that makes all the difference.

"If it's well handled and balanced, a bit of stress can be very useful as it can make is more alert and better prepared to act effectively," he says.

"But too much stress can leave us feeling anxious or depressed. If this continues, excessive stress may increase the risk of developing illness such as heart disease or high blood pressure.

"There is little doubt that dealing with your stress will benefit you mentally and physically."

Origins, the wellness beauty brand at Beales in Bournemouth, offers a complimentary de-stressing service known as Vitality at Work which includes mini-massages and exercises that can be done while at your desk.

"Stress is the natural reaction people have to excessive pressures placed on them. We all respond to stress in different ways at different times," says Charleen Unterhalter, the company's national education manager.

"In the short term stress can cause fatigue and irritability.

"It can affect your work, relationships and your appearance.

"In the long run, stress can cause health problems such as high blood pressure and impair your immune system contributing to disease."

Jane Kilpatrick of Branksome Park in Poole who runs Physiosculpt@Work, which specialises in improving health and wellness in the workplace, says the average level of employee absence has increased for the first time in two years.

"People often assume that it's work that causes stress, however influences outside of the workplace such as family and home can also cause stress and it is therefore important to look at work/life balance.

"We can offer tailor-made stress management programmes to improve the work/life balance as well as carry out stress risk assessments in the workplace and show how companies can help their employees by offering flexi-time, wellness exercises classes and motivational team work days.

"There's a lot that can be done to improve people's working lives and to reduce absenteeism which ultimately means increased company productivity so everyone wins."